Community Impact - Social Need & Health
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Volunteers to the Rescue
The temperature is - 29 degrees C and the snow is deep, but that does not deter the dedicated volunteers and their dogs that have come out for a new recruit testing session of the Lethbridge RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association [CSDA]. "After all, missing person searches don't just occur in pleasant weather," explains Nikeae Michalchuk, volunteer Regional Director. Searches can last seven or more hours, at any time of the day or night, and in all kinds of weather and terrain.
Province wide, almost 40 searches are undertaken each year. "In Southern Alberta the need for searches varies. The year before last we had no calls, then last year about five or six, and we've already had one this year," she says. Whenever a loved one is lost, dedicated volunteers from all walks of life leave their homes, jobs, and activities to join the search with their trained dogs. "It is amazing work that takes a huge amount of training and dedication on the part of the volunteers and the dogs," says Nikeae. The RCMP CSDA is only involved in missing persons cases, not with any criminal situations.
To become certified, volunteers and dogs must pass a series of exams and complete a long and rigorous training process. The program is open to dogs of any breed. "First we test their temperament and ability, their retrieving drive
Regional Director Nikeae Michaichuk with her Staffordshire Terrier Samson and volunteer dog adjudicator Keith Hopkins with his Golden Retriever Gabby are ready to work. Gabby was the youngest dog ever certified at only 14 months of age.
how easily motivated and bright they are. We need dogs that have lots of energy, are motivated and focused. Not all dogs can do the work." It takes one to two years of working 10 to 20 hours a week to complete the training. Then RCMP dog handlers test each volunteer dog and handler team annually to make sure they meet the rigorous standards of performance needed to participate in searches. Other training includes search and rescue fundamentals, First Aid/CPR, and scent theory. Handlers must also pass an annual physical fitness test.
Ms. Michaichuk, a Conservation Officer in Kananaskis, is one of five certified dog handlers in Southern Alberta. "I love working with dogs and when you combine that with the possibility of saving someone's life, it's priceless. I'm proud to have participated in this program for more than five years now."
As with any emergency team, the RCMP CSDA must be prepared at all times because they never know when they will be needed. However, the Association does not receive any government funding, so in addition to training and searching, it must also raise funds for training and equipment. The grant from the Lethbridge Community Foundation has helped prepare two new recruits by providing them with cold weather outerwear, two way radios for communicating with the RCMP, and Global Positioning System locators. "It is great that our next two recruits can be fully outfitted and ready to go," says Nikeae. "The volunteers already commit a lot of time and money during training, so this takes a burden off their shoulders. Without the Foundation's support we would be scrounging for funds, because it is very important that the volunteers are properly equipped."
From LCF Report to the Community 2003.
Updated September 2009
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