In 1978, the Canadian Coast Guard established the Canadian Marine Rescue Auxiliary across Canada in order to involve volunteers in a structured way to provide marine rescue assistance and rescue prevention education. This national auxiliary program provided funding for volunteer operations, such as reimbursement of fuel costs and insurance coverage, when volunteer boats and crews were formally tasked to respond to marine incidents by the Victoria Rescue Co-ordination Centre of the Department of National Defence. Guidance in volunteer training and provision of some specialized rescue and life saving equipment were also provided under this program. The CMRA underwent a name change to Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. In the Pacific Region of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, under which the Canadian Coast Guard Agency now falls, the CCGA-Pacific underwent a rebranding doing business under the name Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue or RCMSAR, effective May 2012. The Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Inc., became the legal name of the organization in 2017. Volunteers have been an integral part of marine rescue response services along the British Columbia coast for more than 100 years, initially as part of the Canadian Life Saving Service. The Canadian Coast Guard was formally established in 1962 and shortly thereafter engaged volunteers called Volunteer Search Masters and Volunteer Marine Rescue Agents.
Operations
About 1,000 volunteers operate more than 30 rescue stations on the west coast and in the British Columbia interior in support of federal marine search and rescue and provincial emergency management mandates. Collectively they respond to an average of about 800 missions per year, or about a third of all marine emergencies in B.C. A small paid staff at the RCMSAR Headquarters and Training Centre near Victoria supports operations, training and volunteer members. RCMSAR receives funding for missions and on-water training from the Canadian Coast Guard through a Contribution Agreement in support of the Coast Guard's marine search and rescue mandate. Funding is provided by the Province of British Columbia through Community Gaming Grants for vessels and equipment. RCMSAR also welcomes corporate and private donations. In 2017, RCMSAR signed a memorandum of understanding with the Province of British Columbia to allow local authorities and provincial agencies to request assistance from RCMSAR directly in times of emergency specifically related to their jurisdictions. Marine search and rescue in federal waters remains RCMSAR's core operation and primary support function. In 2017, RCMSAR also signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a relationship with the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group for the purpose of training and operational collaboration.
Resources
Equipment
RCMSAR is equipped with a variety of vessels ranging from rigid hull inflatables to large enclosed-cabin waterjet-powered boats. RCMSAR also operates a training simulator featuring a full-scale enclosed cabin vessel, large screen, digital projectors and sound. The simulator mirrors RCMSAR's "Brewin" vessel used for on-water training.
