A few weeks back, a friend of mine, Peter MacKay, called to see if Charlotte would be willing to be the subject of a training exercise for the Halifax Regional Search and Rescue (HRSAR) team. He mentioned that the focus of the exercise was Project Lifesaver and that there would be other subjects of similar age to Charlotte participating.
Of course, we jumped at the opportunity to get out into the woods and be part of the great training the HRSAR team puts on each week to keep their team of volunteers ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
A few days later, Charlotte and I met with exercise coordinators and other exercise participants at the back of the Woodlawn Public Library. This is where we learned that the team was about to be alerted of the exercise and that they would be faced with a couple of curly situations to have to deal with; there were going to be two separate searches taking place simultaneously, and neither of the search scenarios were going to make things easy on the volunteers responding to the situation (after a busy day at work).
The first of the two scenarios involved a couple of eager teenagers who were instructed to carry the Project Lifesaver bracelets—which could be tracked remotely by search teams—for a pre-determined length of time, before deliberately discarding the bracelets in the woods and continuing to push further into the wilderness.
The second scenario involved 8-year-old Morgan, who was also carrying a Project Lifesaver bracelet, accompanied by her parents Jennifer and Kevin. Of course, what they weren’t telling search teams was that Morgan would also be accompanied by 8-year-old Charlotte and me. In other words, teams would be looking for a single subject, when in fact, there would be two missing persons who secretly ran off together. Sneaky!
In both situations, we would be accompanied by HRSAR safety volunteers to ensure the training evolution ran smoothly and we were all well taken care of as the exercise unfolded. After a few quick introductions and a short brief from the exercise coordinators, we were off.
After driving to the search area and parking the cars, we gave the girls a map and compass each and a curb-side rundown of the UTM coordinate system. You guessed it, blank stares and crickets. After a small amount of coaching and a short explanation about the sun direction and where to put your shadow, we headed off through the residential area, and down into the woodland trail system that runs alongside Morris Lake.
Once we had arrived on the peninsula that we would be camped out at for a while, we checked in with the exercise coordinators, before changing into our bathing suits and going for a well-deserved swim in the lake. After the swim, we fired up the Jet Boil and fed the girls before sharing a tasty chocolate bar as a prize for being so patient in the woods. Before long, we received our first update on the progress of the search teams and were told to settle in for what could be a long night (the teams had located the first bracelet and had returned to base, thinking they were done for the night).
As night fell, the girls had a few questions about what exactly would be expected of them, so we gathered around the fire pit to discuss what would happen as the search teams drew closer. Basically, with the teams expecting only one missing person, the girls would separate and hide in different areas of the woods, each with their respective parents and safety person. One girl would take the Project Lifesaver bracelet and the other would simply hide and remain quiet, only speaking if the Search Teams asked the first girl if she had any friends. All the girls had to do was hang with us until the teams drew closer, then sit quietly in their hiding places until they were found and rescued. Oh, and by the way, one girl had a simulated broken ankle and the other, a twisted knee. Good times.
After what seemed like an eternity of sitting in the dark, whispering reassurance to the kids that the teams would be here soon, the mobile phones lit up with text messages that the noose was tightening and it was time to switch the lights off and bed down in the woods. This was the last time I saw Morgan and her parents with the brief exception of catching a momentary glimpse of them all near the end of the exercise, so the rest of this account must focus on Charlotte’s experience; but what I will say is, that I was very proud of both kids who were effectively sitting alone in the woods, in the dark, with a bunch of strangers calling out their names in the distance. Of course, their parents and the HRSAR safety members were always close at hand, but in Charlotte’s case at least, there was a 25- to 30-minute period where she was sitting alone in the woods, out of sight and barely within whispering earshot of Leanne and me. Well done, Tig. So brave.
After what seemed like an 8-year-old’s eternity, the teams moved closer as they cleared the beaches either side of the peninsula and committed themselves for the task of clearing the ground ahead. We could see streaks of light from their headlamps and, from time to time, team members would call out code names for each of the girls. We could hear there were team members on either coastline of the peninsula, with additional members pushing through the woods, all remaining together in a line as they systematically searched the area. Hiding in the woods within earshot of Charlotte, Leanne and I giggled, because it turns out the searcher to our right was called ‘Dave’, while the searcher to our front was also called ‘Dave’, and they were yelling “Dave” at one another to keep tabs on their slow but steady progress through the woods.
Before too long, they stumbled on Charlotte’s location and the call went out, “We’ve found someone!”
The girls had been instructed not to speak unless spoken to, simulating a Project Lifesaver client who may not have the ability to answer when their name is called. Upon arriving at Charlotte’s location, Canadian-searcher Dave in the woods radioed in Charlotte’s position, whilst UK-searcher Dave from the beach pushed through the scrub to perform an initial assessment on Charlotte’s well-being. A simulated broken ankle. That was going to make the extraction difficult!
Having been spotted by both searchers on-scene, we as the safety team checked in with Charlotte to ensure she was happy with what was going on, before explaining we weren’t part of the exercise, and we backed off to let the searchers do their thing. To be honest, they did a wonderful job. The checked in with the command bus right away, notified all team members of what was going on, rendered first aid to the missing person, and asked for help in determining the best way for extracting the patient. Textbook stuff that has always impressed me most about HRSAR… and that’s when the exercise coordinator threw the spanner in the works!
“HELP! HEEELLLPPP!!! Can anybody hear me?”
In the middle of coordinating Charlotte’s nighttime medevac from the middle of the Nova Scotian wilderness, Canadian Dave caught wind of another young voice calling out across the darkness. You could see that every fibre in his body wanted to charge off into the woods after the voice he just heard, but his training got the better of him, and cooler heads prevailed.
“Halifax Search & Rescue. Stay where you are and we will come to you!”
As soon as he had reassured the second voice off in the distance, Canuk Dave with the radio checked in with UK Dave who was in the middle of wrapping Charlotte’s ankle. He explained the situation, they discussed the options, and the Charlotte was questioned about her friend.
“Can you tell me; do you have a friend?”
Charlotte performed the role superbly, pretending not to know anything until questioned by the team.
“Yes.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No.”
Meanwhile, through the dark woods, we could hear Morgan calling out through the woods, trying to panic the team into doing something ‘uncoordinated’.
The two Dave’s kept their cool as the conferred with one another like total pros, then the radio crackled, as the decision was taken to keep the first team together in support of Charlotte who could not be easily moved, and use the radio to bring more team members onto the peninsula to locate Morgan and finish the search.
For a team of volunteers with no federal funding, HRSAR are bloody good at what they do!
Before too long, the inflatable rescue boat arrived on the western shore and a plan was put in place to extract Charlotte to the coastline where her injuries could be better tended to, whilst avoiding the shallow water on the eastern side. While all this took place, more searchers arrived from the various search teams that had been scouring the coast line to the north and closed the gap on the missing Morgan with the twisted knee.
Conversation continued on the beach as the two Dave’s linked up with the crew of the rescue boat and they talked about what to do with no child-sized lifejackets aboard. Meanwhile, we could hear on the radio that Morgan had also been located and would require an extract also. There was a brief out-of-exercise conversation pertaining to whether I would accompany Charlotte to the recovery point aboard the rescue boat.
I leaned into Charlotte, who was still playing the part of a confused missing person and said, “Tig, do you see all those police cars and lights flashing on the other side of the lake?”
She nodded.
“Are you happy to ride on the boat with Dave and I’ll see you there.”
Big smiles, without missing a beat. It seems, while wrapping her ankle and talking to her to keep her calm, UK Dave had completely won her over.
“Righto, Leanne and I are going to hike out and get the truck, and we’ll meet you there in half an hour. Be good, okay?”
With the lifejacket issue resolved as best they could, Charlotte, Dave, and the crew of the rescue boat moved further around the peninsula to pick up Morgan. Understandably, Morgan was a little nervous about getting on the boat alone, but by the time Charlotte pulled onto the beach, Morgan was all over the idea of going for a smash across the lake. To their parent’s dismay, the girls were already poking cheek at Canuk Dave for his wispy facial hair.
“Cheeky shits,” I said to Leanne, grinning. “They’ll be fine. C’mon, let’s go.”
With the children safely in the care of the search team, we parents made our way back to the truck through the woods. On the way, we learned that the children had been moved from the extraction point to the Command Bus, and we found out later, that they had ridden there in a police car, flashing the lights and talking on the loudspeaker all the way.
Upon arriving at command, they were walked through the map showing how the search for them had progressed throughout the night and were generously fed by the girls in the chow wagon with slices of orange and lemon tarts.
Not to mention the fact that they took great delight in giving it to ‘Dave!’
By the time all was said and done, the girls had walked more than 3 km and had been ‘lost’ out in the woods for nearly eight hours, (three of which were spent in pitch black).
The Police, HRSAR, Project Lifesaver teams, and supporting units had covered tens, if not hundreds of square kilometers of search area that evening, and located all three simulated ‘missing persons’. If that doesn’t impress you, I don’t know what does?
Having originally told Michelle that we’d be home by 10:00 PM, it was entirely understandable that by quarter past midnight, she was a little curious about what had happened to her kid.
I nudged Charlotte as we climbed down off the bus.
“So, how was that?”
“Good,” she said, clearly pleased with herself after such a great adventure.
“I really like that guy, Dave …"
"... and Morgan. I like Morgan, too."
"Can we do this again sometime soon?”
About HRSAR
Halifax Regional Search & Rescue (HRSAR) is a 100% non-profit, volunteer organization and registered charity with more than 150 active members on call 24/ 7, 365 days a year to respond to lost-person incidents and civil emergencies in the greater Halifax area and throughout Nova Scotia.
About Project Lifesaver
Project Lifesaver is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting and responding to the challenge to caregivers of finding wandering or bolting loved ones who may suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, Autism, or any other special needs requirements. Clients registered with Project Lifesaver wear a personalized bracelet which may be tracked, 24 hours a day.
