Unit #55's Profile
Through
SAR
response, prevention and safety-related activates, the
Auxiliary
and the Coast
Guard work together to achieve their common objective of preventing
the loss of life and injury at sea.
Unit #55 of the
Canadian
Coast Guard Auxiliary has been established in Powell
River for many years and has provided marine Search and Rescue and
Boating
Safety services to the area, in cooperation with the regular Canadian
Coast Guard, throughout that period.
Unit #55 is unique in Canada in that it is the only unit in the country
which regularly provides crew for Canadian Coast Guard vessels and
therefore has a high level of cooperation with the regular Coast Guard.
Over the years the role of Unit #55 has developed and changed. For some
years the unit was required to provide one member, 24 hours a day, 7days a
week, to crew on the
Coast
Guard Cutter Mallard. With the Powell River Coast Guard stations
acquisition of a second vessel, the Units role has expanded to provide
three members, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, to crew the Mallard and the
24 foot rigid hull inflatable fast response rescue craft.
Our area is very fortunate to have this station and these two vessels,
particularly as the Coast Guard pays all the costs of maintaining and
operating them. Unit #55 is, however, now faced with the cost of providing
and maintaining all of the equipment required for its members to play
their part in the stations operations. We are fortunate that the initial
set of equipment has been acquired from various sources but operating a
fast rescue open boat in all weather conditions is a very harsh
environment and equipment does not last long and must be constantly
repaired and/or replaced.
We also provide dead head markers at no cost to any interested persons who
are willing to mark dead heads floating in our waters. We rely on
donations to fund the materials for this program and Unit #55 provides the
labor at no cost. We feel that providing this service will save lives and
damage to vessels, thus is a very important part of our organization
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