Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today about several ground search and rescue initiatives implemented by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
The department recently produced new ground search and rescue training standards, which will be used to train community representatives in ground search and rescue techniques. Community representatives will then use the standards to train their individual ground search and rescue teams.
Training standards will ensure all participants are trained to the same level and individuals who volunteer are safely employed during any search operation. I am pleased to advise that the Northwest Territories is the first Canadian jurisdiction to develop these formal ground search and rescue training standards.
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has also developed a Northwest Territories Youth Search and Rescue Prevention Program. The intent of this program is to provide children with information on basic survival skills they will need to survive should they become lost while out on the land.
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has also worked with the federal government on its ground search and rescue information system database. This database will provide information specific to the Northwest Territories. The data made available from this system will be used to track and report on search and rescue operations on the land and on inland waters. The database will produce information on lost person behaviour patterns in order to determine high probability search areas.
Finally, the department has recently completed a study of all radio communications infrastructure in the Northwest Territories. This study has produced a comprehensive listing of the location, frequency type and owner of all radio communications, and will be used to determine what radio equipment could be called on to assist during emergencies if backup communications are required.
The initiatives undertaken by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs were done in partnership with the federal government's search and rescue initiatives fund, which provides assistance to provinces and territories to develop new and innovative projects to assist in search and rescue work.
These initiatives will support community volunteers and help to increase the effectiveness of Northwest Territories search and rescue situations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause