Each year, volunteers from Coast Guard Auxiliaries in Canada and the U.S. meet at the International Search and Rescue Competition (ISAR) held alternately in Canada and the U.S. ISAR 2005 was held in Halifax, N.S. on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.Each region selects their top members (usually through regional SAR competitions) to send to ISAR. The competition requires strong teamwork, organization and leadership skills in addition to seamanship and SAR training.The 2005 Pacific region team consisted of five members selected at the regional competition in Steveston last May. Unlike previous years, the team members were selected from different units across the region, which afforded them limited opportunities to practise as a team before the competition.Since there are six regions in the U.S. and only five in Canada, an extra member is sent from the Canadian teams to create a composite Team Canada and even the playing field. In addition one member of all teams is pulled to form four more Can-Am teams the night before the competition.The goal of ISAR is threefold: first, to demonstrate the skills of volunteer lifesavers through a major search and rescue exercise; second, to provide an avenue to increase esprit de corps and exchange information and ideas between the United States and the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliaries; and third, the competition provides a forum for the participants to be recognized for their work as dedicated volunteer lifesavers.Pacific team captain Scott Baker (Unit 12 Halfmoon Bay) worked with all five team members: Shawn Burchette (team Canada designate from Unit 1 Howe Sound) Sidney Clare (Unit 14 Gibsons) Campbell Good (Unit 33 Oak Bay) and Kellei Bulmer (Unit 12 Halfmoon Bay) to develop a training plan for the team before ISAR and then to lead the Pacific ISAR team of three in Halifax. Baker, Clare and Good competed in the ISAR events alongside 11 other teams that included SAR planning, communications, Marlinspike (knots) life-ring toss, damage control and the most realistic event Ñ the one in which the Pacific team members are called upon to perform more than any other Ñ on-the-water search and rescue, which the Pacific team won with a near-perfect score.Burchette from Howe Sound, despite being designated as a member of team Canada from the start, was just as much a part of the Pacific team as any other member until being placed with his team Canada crew in Halifax. He did exceptionally well winning three events and leading team Canada to win the overall 2005 ISAR trophy for the first time ever.Bulmer was randomly selected to become a member of one of the Can-Am teams. These teams compete in a separate competition and consist of one Canadian and two American members or vice versa, the members of each not being revealed until the evening briefing the night before the competition starts. Bulmer was placed with two members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, one from Arizona and the other from New Jersey. They were also the oldest two competitors in the Can-Am Competition, one being over 70 and the other over 80 years old.Despite these challenges, Bulmer led her team to win two events: SAR pump (a timed event centered on operation of a standard issue de-watering/fire pump) and Marlinspike (consisting of rope splicing). Her team's performance in these events and the rest of the competition earned them the overall win for the Can-Am trophy as the best Can-Am team for 2005."We all agreed we were going to give it our all and just have fun," said Bulmer before the results were announced. "We certainly did have fun."Teamwork, great attitudes and a good sense of fun drove all three Pacific Region led teams to great success at ISAR 2005.
