New equipment readies GAMRU for 2021 season

Three major donations will help equip GAMRU South Shore Search And Rescue volunteers with vital technical and safety equipment ahead of a predicted busy 2021 boating season.

GAMRU (Grimsby Auxiliary Marine Rescue Unit) received new helmets, medical equipment bags, life jackets and crucial safety equipment, and a sophisticated infrared night-vision imaging system which have come from two private sector organizations and the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (GCGA).

The timing of the donations is important. The South Shore Search And Rescue volunteers have just come off a record-breaking year for marine rescues in 2020 and all indications point to another busy season this year.

The volunteers will have their first forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imaging system thanks to a major donation from the Canadian GCGA/Central & Arctic. The sophisticated camera and imaging system will help volunteers detect hard-to-see targets based on their heat signature. The system will be very useful locating people in the water at night, in bad weather or at times of restricted visibility.

The new technology, which integrates with the navigation system used by crews, expands the efficiency of the searchers in critical situations.

“Three absolutely vital donations, from three very different but very supportive organizations, will make an immediate and profound difference in how we help boaters this year and in years to come,” said volunteer leader Bob Gordon.

“It’s particularly gratifying that, in the midst of such a difficult year on land, that respected organizations like CCGA/C&A, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada and BCM Insurance are still looking out for our communities on the water.”

Other donations included:

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada – marine radio direction-finding technology, with a second grant for 15 new lifejackets;
• Bertie & Clinton Mutual Insurance – medical and search and rescue equipment, including strobe lights, throw bags, oxygen transport bags, a scoop stretcher, blankets, and mask resuscitators.