CASARA Ottawa Training

Members of CASARA must attend regular training meetings and exercises to both reach and maintain operational status. CASARA Ottawa holds meetings on the third Tuesday of each month, except December, and SAR exercises on the Saturday or Sunday following the meeting. In addition the Ottawa unit participates in joint SAREXs with other units and in military SAREXs upon invitation.

CASARA Ottawa also offers ground schools for Spotters, Navigators, Electronic Search Specialists, and Search Coordinators. These ground schools are intended to give new members the background necessary to become proficient in operational roles. This background is integral to becoming certified and, thus, able to respond to SAR Actual taskings from JRCC and the OPP.

The schedule of upcoming events is shown in the 'Training Schedule' section below.

Military Spotter Training

CASARA members train with the military as spotters on military aircraft. Generally this training is done once per year depending on the availability of the military aircraft. In Ottawa we generally train on the CC-130 Hercules which is 424 squadron's primary SAR platform.

First Aid and Survival

CASARA Ottawa holds regular first aid courses to ensure that all members have at least basic level qualifications.

The unit usually holds two survival exercises during the year, one in summer and one in the winter. These exercises give the participants some basic skills to assist them in a situation where they might find themselves in an impromptu camping situation.

Training Standards

The "minimum" standards of training and currency are specified in the CASARA National Training Manual. Each Province/Territory provides standards based on the National "minimums" and it's own regional requirements. Each Zone or Unit may in turn, add to these requirements.