Sunshine Coast Emergency Program: Who We Are
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Committees:
The Emergency Planning Committee meets monthly to plan and to train and for emergency and disaster situations.
The committee is composed of the following emergency response organizations:
• RCMP
• Local Fire departments
• BC Ambulance Service
• Search and Rescue
• Emergency Social Services
• Emergency Amateur Radio
• Coast guard Auxiliary
• Salvation Army
• BC Hydro
• BC Ferries
• School District 46
• BC Forest Service
• Vancouver Coastal Health
• SCRD
• Gibsons, Sechelt and Sechelt Indian Government
• Others as required
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Emergency Social Services (ESS):
ESS volunteers are caring, dedicated volunteers trained to provide short-term assistance to residents who are forced to leave their homes because of fire, floods, earthquakes or other emergencies. This assistance includes food, lodging, clothing, emotional support and family reunification.
The SC Animal Disaster Response Team is trained in emergency pet care and handling.
Search and Rescue (SAR):
Search and Rescue are highly skilled volunteers dispatched by the RCMP for land-based and inland water tasks. They also actively participate within the community, responding to emergency and disaster situations such as assisting with evacuations and manning checkpoints.
Team members must individually provide and maintain the ability and equipment necessary to respond and sustain independent SAR operations under all conditions for a minimum of twenty-four hours.
SAR activities might include:
• Ground Search & Rescue, including wilderness
survival, mapping, compass & GPS Tracking 
• Communications, VHF, UHF, Sat/Cell, amateur and
commercial band
• High Angle and Embankment Rope Rescue
• Avalanche Awareness and Rescue
• Helicopter (Hover Entry/Exit)
• Search & Rescue Management
• Basic and Advanced Incident Management
• Mountain Rescue,
• Police Evidence Search and support
• BC Coroners Service recovery, and
• Equipment maintenance
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Emergency Radio Communications:
These knowledgeable volunteers build, test and maintain radio systems to provide back-up communications in the event of a disaster. The emergency radio room is housed in the Field Rd. Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). Some of the technologies we employ are: VHF, UHF, HF, Packet radio.
The amateur radio operators (HAMS) on the coast will be the emergency point of contact to residents in the event of a telephone system failure. HAMS have the ability to transfer information to the (EOC) where emergency services will be dispatched.
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Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA): 
There are 3 units of the CCGA on the Sunshine Coast located in Gibsons (Unit 14), Halfmoon Bay (Unit 12) and Pender Harbour (Unit 61). They are all equipped with high speed response boats to perform marine rescue, response and emergency transportation.
Contact Information:
Emergency Program Coordinator - Bill Elsner
Tel - (604)885-6887
Fax - (604)885-6860
bill.elsner@scrd.ca
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Committees
Emergency Social Services (ESS)
Search and Rescue (SAR)
Emergency Radio Communications
Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA)
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