SEARCH AND RESCUE IN REMOTE REGIONS (WP3)

The Search and Rescue (SAR) system in Canada is both complex and effective, saving thousands of lives each year. FOCI’s Work Package on ‘Search and Rescue in Remote Regions’ informs on the effectiveness of SAR infrastructure in a context of change. Coastal regions of eastern Canada and the Arctic gateway are seeing increases in ship traffic every year—a trend that is expected to continue. This region is also known for its harsh and unpredictable conditions, which increase the risk to vessels and their passengers and crew. When SAR is required to assist with maritime emergencies, a range of decisions have to be made regarding deployment of assets and operational plans. Different tactical SAR planning models are used but to date, strategic planning models for examining overall system performance and the factors which most affect system performance have been limited in scope. Using mixed methods of analyzing and modelling existing data and integrating community-based research and engagement methods, the objective of this work package is to advance the state-of-the-art in strategic SAR modelling through an infrastructure lens.