Essex endorsing the establishment of a Windsor Chapter of Ontario Search and Rescue

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative

The Town of Essex is endorsing the establishment of a Windsor Chapter of the Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association (OSARVA), and directed municipal administration to draft a letter of support that will be sent to the group working to organize this potential opportunity.

  Mayor Sherry Bondy presented this under New Business at the regular Essex Council meeting on September 15. It reached the requirement to be raised this way being minor as all that was needed to be done was send a letter, and urgent because she was notified Essex was one of the only local municipalities that had not sent a letter yet.

The matter was introduced to her earlier that day, during the Essex County OPP Detachment Board – North meeting.

  “We want to get this letter of support out as soon as possible, so they can set up this branch,” Bondy said.

  “If somebody’s child or loved one goes missing, they don’t have the support letters yet to open an organization here, so I don’t even want to delay this by two-weeks,” she added, referring to what would be the next Council meeting.

  There is an organization trying to set this up, because police don’t often have resources for large-scale search and rescue. They do a lot of training with their volunteers.

  The sooner it gets set-up, the better.

  “There are missing people in our community right now that could use the help of these folks,” she said.

  Sarah Yalda, President, and Eileen Dancel, Vice President of the Windsor Chapter of OSARVA, explained to members of the Essex County OPP Detachment Board – North that OSARVA was established in 1992. It is a provincially-recognized, not-for-profit volunteer-based organization that supports ground search and rescue teams in Ontario. It operates in all six OPP-designated regions, and areas not policed by the OPP.

  Volunteer search and rescue members have been assisting provincial and municipal police agencies and municipalities as part of an Emergency Preparedness Plan.

  The closest team to the Windsor-Essex Region is in London.

  “Our goal is to establish a local chapter to cover the entire Windsor-Essex area,” Yalda said.

  The goal is to establish a local chapter for the region to assist LaSalle, Windsor, and OPP police services with locating lost or missing persons. It would also assist the community by providing presentations and training on outdoor safety and awareness.

  All OSARVA members must pass a criminal record check, and are trained to the OPP basic searcher-level to become operational. They are recertified annually.

  “In a time when there are strains on the policing system, with a lack of personnel and resources, OSARVA can become a reliable cog to keep the system working,” Yalda said. “OSARVA will benefit Windsor-Essex by assisting Officers on the road, alleviating stress due to resource, time, and money constraints, and allow Officers to return to priority calls.”

  Though establishing the local chapter of OSARVA is in its infancy, Yalda said they have received letters of support from the Town of LaSalle, LaSalle Police, Lakeshore, and Kingsville. They require such letters from all municipalities and police services to have OSARVA operate within its jurisdiction.

  Members of the Essex County OPP Detachment Board – North supported Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey’s motion that a Letter of Support be brought forward to its next meeting for consideration.    

The organizers noted that the timeline for establishment is roughly one-two years, as they are at the very beginning stages.

  Organizers are looking for any and all assistance with funding, grant writing, community donations, and support. They are also keeping track of emails of individuals who are interested in joining, and will reach out when they get to that stage.

Those interested in signing up to learn more can email windsoressexsar@gmail.com.