New search and rescue recruits face final training exercise

P.E.I. Ground Search and Rescue will be in Stratgartney Provincial Park Saturday for the last training exercise for 22 new recruits from this spring.

The recruits have already been through a lot of course work: woods lore, map and compass, GPS navigation, first aid. This final exercise will be as much like a real search as possible.

"They'll bring all of the training they've done in the last month together, trying to find our subject, who will be hiding in the woods," said Frances Gertsch, training officer for P.E.I. Ground Search and Rescue.

There will be about 50 team members involved in the exercise, including the 22 trainees.

A successful campaign

Gertsch said the team is thrilled with the results of a recruitment campaign it ran in March.

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Typically Ground Search and Rescue takes on 15-20 new recruits a year, so this year's recruitment was more successful than usual.

"We were absolutely overwhelmed by the amazing response we got to our recruitment campaign this year," she said.

"We're really pleased with the 22 folks we have and we're right at capacity."

The mock search will start about 6 p.m., and Gertsch hopes it will be completed in two to three hours.

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