HUMANITARIAN WORKFORCE CALL-OUT:COVID-19 SUPPORT – Deployment Complete

We’re proud to welcome home the team of SARVAC members, specifically from the Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association deployed earlier this week to Deer Lake First Nation, ON. at the request of the Chief and Council. This request was coordinated through the Governmental Operations Centre, the Provincial Emergency Operations Center and Public Safety Canada as a result of the recent COVID-19 outbreak within the boundaries of the territory described by the Winnipeg Treaty No. 5 (1875).

Our SARVAC members were successful in providing the assistance and necessary services alongside Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Ranger members by ​​helping provide logistical support with the local health clinic, and performance of labor intensive tasks such as harvesting firewood for members amongst the Deer Lake First Nation community.

We are once again proud to announce this has been the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada’s first operational response to a Request for Federal Assistance (RFA) and Humanitarian Workforce (HWF) activation, initiated by Public Safety Canada who ensured our GSAR team, and Deer Lake First Nation community members were able to access the necessary resources vital to the health and safety of those most affected by the spread of COVID-19.

We want to sincerely thank our GSAR members who responded to this call and all SARVAC members from across Canada who expressed selfless interest in the volunteer deployment.