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VOLUNTEER AWARD RECIPIENTS 2008 Five public safety lifeline volunteers and a lifetime award recipient were recognized and honoured for their special contribution and commitment to helping the people of B.C. at the Provincial Emergency Program’s annual Volunteer Awards Recognition dinner on Saturday, April 26, 2008. These outstanding individuals represent the dedicated people who are registered Provincial Emergency Program public safety lifeline volunteers, serving in five programs: Search and Rescue, Emergency Social Services, Air Search, Amateur Radio and Road Rescue. The Lifetime Achievement Award also recognizes exceptional contributions by an individual. The public safety lifeline volunteers honoured for 2008 are representative of the over 13,000 highly skilled emergency volunteers throughout the province who donate their time, expertise and energy to protect the safety and well-being of others: |
Charles Pachal - LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD |
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| In 1969 Charles (Chuck) Pachal retired from the Canadian Armed Forces, moved to Kelowna, and offered his aircraft and skills as a volunteer search pilot and he's been giving back to the community ever since. It wasn't long before Chuck was heavily involved in some major air searches and became the Kelowna Air Deputy. From 1972 to 1985 Chuck was the Kamloops Zone Air Chief and set up an improved training plan not only for the zone, but for the province as well. This was a tremendous undertaking since some areas of the province didn't have formal training plans. Chuck then went on to become the province's Deputy Air Chief and introduced a substantial training plan for spotters, pilots and navigators, parts of which are still used today. Additionally he has held volunteer positions as both the Deputy Director and the Director of PEP Air. In his years of volunteering for PEP Air, Chuck flew over 500 hours on actual searches to help those in need. Chuck's continued commitment to helping those in need went far beyond his community. He was elected as the President of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) in 1989 and served for six years. CASARA is the organization that is responsible for the financial and operational efficiency of PEP Air. The Lifetime Achievement award salutes the extraordinary contribution that Chuck has made to the PEP Air program. His dedication has greatly enriched and enhanced the program throughout the province. | |
Chuck Henderson - PEP AIR |
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| Chuck Henderson began his PEP Air volunteer career in 1979 while living in the province's northeast. He moved to Kamloops in 2005 where he has continued to volunteer his time and energy to help those in need. Chuck is the Kamloops Area Air Deputy and his role is to coordinate local air search and rescue activities and train other PEP Air volunteers. As well as being the Area Air Deputy, Chuck is currently the Deputy Provincial PEP Air Training Officer and assists the military to conduct zone evaluations. Not only does Chuck help search for lost people, he is always willing to share his knowledge and experience with other PEP Air volunteers. Long before becoming the province's Deputy Training Officer, Chuck was instrumental in initiating weekend fly-ins to the northwest where PEP Air volunteers practiced search, safety and first aid, and he taught navigation, spotting, fly search patterns. Chuck's long term dedication and achievements speak volumes about the kind of volunteer he is. No matter where or when, Chuck is always enthusiastic to use his talents and abilities when they are needed for as long as they are needed. | |
Dave Clift - EMERGENCY RADIO |
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| Dave Clift was recognized posthumously for his dedication to Emergency Radio. Dave Clift dedicated his time as an emergency radio volunteer in the southwest region of the province. He was responsible for special communications projects, communications training, and was the Team Leader of the Radio Communications Support Team. He was also the Alternate Radio Station Manager at the province's Surrey emergency centre when it was activated and was a member of the Provincial Emergency Radio Advisory Committee (PERAC). Dave used his special skills and talents for more than helping those in need during an emergency. Dave had recently designed and built three deployable communications kits that can supply field communications on a local, regional or provincial level. He had also formed a Radio Communications Support Team that could be deployed anywhere at any time. He willingly shared his knowledge with others and had co-produced and presented the Radio Communication Station Management Course with the Justice Institute of BC and was an amateur radio course instructor and an accredited examiner for Industry Canada. Dave's dedication to helping others goes beyond the communications field, he was also a Fraser Valley Emergency Coordinator and, since his retirement, had begun volunteering a significant amount of time with Langley emergency social services. | |
Brian Lamond - SEARCH AND RESCUE |
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| Brian Lamond started his volunteer emergency services involvement in 1978 in the north as a local volunteer fireman and eventually became the Syncrude Fire Chief. In 1999, a family move took him to Vancouver Island where he offered his expertise as a volunteer fireman. There were no openings as a firefighter, so Brian offered his services to the Campbell River volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) team where many of the skills he had acquired over the years were a welcome addition to the team. Another career move sent him to Fort St John in 2002, where he continued to volunteer in search and rescue, joining the North Peace SAR Team. Brian is in his third term as President of the North Peace SAR Society and has been the PEP SAR Advisory Representative for the North East North zone since 2004. As a SAR representative Brian sits on industry and government committees and he also works with local communities to enhance emergency preparedness around area pipelines. Operationally Brian supports North Peace SAR as a team leader in ground search, rope rescue and as a Swift Water and Ice Rescue Technician. Brian doesn't just volunteer to find lost people; he uses his skills and abilities to help train others as a rope rescue instructor with the Justice Institute. Brian's commitment and dedication to search and rescue and to helping those in need is strong. He recently accessed national funding to bring swift water and ice rescue equipment and training to the North Peace Region so northern SAR teams can be better prepared for local challenges. Over the years Brian has supported his community in many other areas through proactive involvement as a part of a ski patrol team, as a scout leader, and with the BC Winter Games. | |
Bev Wilson - EMERGENCY SOCIAL SERVICES |
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| Bev Wilson has been an ESS volunteer since 1996 when she began her career as a founding Director with the Langford ESS team. Since that time, Bev has continued to be active with the Langford team in one position or another. She has several other “firsts” in her career. Bev is one of the original ESS Trainers for the Justice Institute and is an original member and past Director of the first ESS Mobile Support Team in the province, the Vancouver Island Region Team. As an MST member Bev has been on deployments to Salmon Arm in 1998, the Fire Storm of 2003, fire evacuation response in Tumbler Ridge and Williams Lake in 2006, and flooding in Vanderhoof in 2007. Bev has also been a member of the Canadian Red Cross Disaster Program assisting on response following Hurricane George in Puerto Rico. In addition to her ongoing commitments to Langford and her MST and regional training roles, Bev volunteers on the organizing committee of the Vancouver Island Emergency Preparedness Conference. Bev exemplifies the dedication and spirit of generosity in volunteering that is the foundation of community emergency preparedness in British Columbia. | |
Gord Hogaboam - ROAD RESCUE |
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| Arrow Lakes SAR are one of the volunteer search and rescue groups that provide road rescue services, and Gord has been instrumental in ensuring his team’s commitment to the discipline. His dedication to the team is admirable, and as a tireless champion of road rescue Gord is ready and willing to help at any time, any where. Gord goes far beyond helping people in distress; he works tirelessly to assist with fundraising for the volunteer group and uses his skills and knowledge to help train others. To help make his community safe Gord joined Arrow Lakes SAR in 1999, and was elected President of the team in 2001, the same year he became certified in road rescue. Gord’s hobbies include spending time in the woods and helping people; both hobbies are the perfect foundation for his reason to become a volunteer. He went beyond search and rescue to become part of road rescue to be sure travellers in his area have help when they need it. | |
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