Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue exercise underway in Lethbridge
More than 100 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force have touched down in Lethbridge for annual search and rescue exercises.
"We're simulating that there is a float plane crash at Beaver Mines Lake, so another team is going to be deployed out there and they're going to parachute to the water where there is the HMCS Tecumseh -- the Navy Reserve -- they have a boat on the lake and we're going to have a helicopter go and extract them," said Capt. Jules Pankoski, an organizer of the Chinthex SAR operations exercise.
CC-130H Hercules planes, CH-146 Griffon helicopters and a CC-138 Twin Otter are part of the training.
Pankoski says Lethbridge and southern Alberta offers a wide range of terrain, including the mountains.
"Being able to operate out of Lethbridge, we are only a stone's throw away from the foothills and the Rocky Mountains, so it gives us some diverse terrain that we can work in that we could be expected to be deployed to work on an operational callout," Pankoski said.
Held by 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, this exercise includes participants from various Royal Canadian Air Force agencies, including support from 17 Wing Winnipeg and 19 Wing Comox.
Crews will also take advantage of combined training with United States Air Force squadrons, local Ground Search and Rescue teams and members of the Civilian Air Search and Rescue Association.
"It's important that we have these events so that we can prove our capabilities and how we can work with each other, so that when we're called in a real-world environment to effect a rescue that we have the expertise and we have good knowledge of what each other brings to the table," said Lt.-Col. Josh Leveque, commanding officer for 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron.
Along with training at Beaver Mines Lake, a crew took part in a plane rescue near Cranbrook, B.C.
Members had to locate a plane experiencing technical difficulties and guide it back to the airport.
However, as part of the exercise, the plane didn't make it back and landed in a remote area, with members having to rappel down and provide medical attention.
"(This training) is pretty important because the mission may come at any day, any night or weekend," said Warrant Officer Eric Beaudoin, search and rescue technician leader for the 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron.
"We have crews on alert constantly."
The squadron covers 10 million square kilometres extending east to Quebec City and west to the Alberta-B.C. border.
"If another unit would be in need of assistance due to serviceability issue or the size of the incident, we're ready to answer to a mission anywhere in Canada at any time," Beaudoin said.
Photo courtesy Sailor 1st Class Megan Sterritt, 17 Operations Support Squadron, Winnipeg.
Training will feature high-angle rescues, finding a lost aircraft, technicians parachuting and water rescues with the help of the Navy.
"The Navy brings a unique skill set -- we bring that maritime skill set," said Lt. John Foster, public affairs officer for the Naval Reserve, Western Region.
"So, on this very large, intricate exercise with many, many moving parts, we have the element of the maritime aspect, so we're bringing down a rigged-haul inflatable boat to help at Beaver Mines Lake."
The exercise is held annually at different cities across the country.
The last time Lethbridge hosted Chinthex was in 2016.
"Although we train almost every day, continually ensuring that our skills are honed and sharpened, we don't always get to work with all the other agencies that we work with on an actual SAR callout, so being able to bring everyone together in one spot and being able to more realistically replicate how we would work together on a callout is really important," Pankoski said.
Training is set to wrap up on June 11.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.