Survival of the fittest

Teaming up with BAYSAR, Canadian Forces North Bay and Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Widdifield students implemented their outdoor survival skills for a training exercise Thursday.

The students, who carried out a scenario of being lost in a cold forest with members of their party injured, created smoke fires to use as signalling devices to help a real CC-130H Hercules and SAR crew locate and evacuate them.

Outdoor Education teacher Karl Giesbrecht says the day was a great way for the students to put theory to practise.



Military officials say the 424 Squadron is responsible for the 10 million square kilometers of the Trenton Search and Rescue Region comprising most of the Province of Quebec, all of Ontario, the Prairie Provinces and the entire Arctic.

The Squadron crews maintain a 30-minute standby response posture during normal working hours and on a two-hour posture at all other times in order to respond to distress cases as tasked by the Rescue Coordination Centre.