Welcome to SARscene –
Canada's premier
search and rescue conference!

SARscene is hosted by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat and co-hosted by a provincial or territorial government in association with local search and rescue volunteer associations.

This year, the National Search and Rescue Secretariat is proud to join the Toronto Police Service in co-hosting SARscene 2012, with support from the Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association (OSARVA). SARscene will be held in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada's largest city with a population over 5.7 million people covering an area of 641 sq km including 138 km of shoreline. Over 18 per cent of the city's area is covered by ravines, valleys, woodlots, waterfront natural areas, parks and farmland including 187 km of bike paths, and 7.8 km of pedestrian paths. Because of its diverse geography, it presents unique challenges for urban, air, ground and marine SAR intervention and response.

In addition to the SAR Games – a friendly and competitive learning opportunity – the program includes sessions targeted to SAR management, SAR volunteers, and SAR response, prevention and mitigation. Media Day, held concurrently with the SAR Games, is an opportunity for the SAR community to interact with print and mainstream media, to help convey our message of awareness and prevention, and highlight the work of SAR responders. SARscene is also the opportunity to honour Canada's SAR elite through the National SAR Awards of Excellence banquet. Please consult the navigation tabs on the left of your screen for details on each of the SARscene activities.

Join us and the Canadian and international search and rescue communities, to learn about the latest trends, training and developments in the field of SAR. The SARscene interactive tradeshow brings together SAR manufacturers and service providers, and offer SARscene delegates with the opportunity to network with their peers, the private sector, and the academic sector. SARscene attendees and exhibitors include search and rescue professional staff and volunteers, law enforcement; air, ground and marine stakeholders; K9 SAR; first responders; paramedics; SAR and emergency management coordinators; researchers; manufacturers and service providers; members of the international SAR community; and many more.

We hope to see you at SARscene 2012!

Highlights

Thank you to everyone who attended this year's SARscene

• Thanks to your participation, networking, input during sessions, and sharing of lessons learned and best practices, the work that was accomplished by all supports continuous improvement of SAR prevention and response in Canada.


• SARscene 2012 PowerPoint presentations can be found under the "Program Description" tab on the left of this page. Please note that we are posting only those presentations for which we have received permission from the authors.

SARscene 2013

The National Search and Rescue Secretariat and the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association are planning SARscene 2013, to take place in Okanagan Region of British Columbia in October.

Details coming soon.