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News & Announcements1/19/2011 | BLJC technician ‘trained to expect the worst’ as search and rescue volunteer Whether it’s searching for a downed plane or missing boat in summer or pulling someone from icy water in winter, Paul Poisson is ready to help as a member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA). He’s been fulfilling this role for about eight years, and previously served as a volunteer firefighter for six years. “I find it exciting because it’s quite a challenge. I like a challenge,” Poisson says. This volunteer work requires capabilities that make the building tech III on the Canada Post contract a “valued asset” to BLJC, facility manager Van Harrylall says. Poisson, for example, is a team player and people person who communicates well with team members and the client. Based at the Ottawa mail processing plant, he also employs effective problem-solving skills. “I’m trained to expect the worst,” Poisson says in explaining the calm and hands-on approach to assessing an issue then looking for solutions. He also makes an invaluable contribution to the community, something BLJC emphasizes through its corporate social responsibility program. Classed as a petty officer rescue specialist with CCGA, Poisson joins patrols of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers. He’s on standby on his days off and, when called out, assists full-time CCGA personnel in searching for planes, boats and people at any time of year. Sometimes they’re false alarms but other calls can result in rescue or recovery. These operations can involve a helicopter or hovercraft. Volunteers also utilize their own vessels for auxiliary-related activities. Potential volunteers undergo rigorous testing and, if accepted, engage in ongoing training. Next month, for example, Poisson expects ice-water training to occur, with volunteers taking turns pulling one another from the St. Lawrence River. “And that’s cold,” he says. All auxiliary members are highly trained in first aid and advanced CPR. Fortunately, Poisson says, calls don’t come that often. He notes that he’s often been out on the Ottawa River – which he grew up on - when, coincidentally, an incident has occurred. He recalls, for example, coming in late one autumn night with his boat when he came across a woman who “was going down for the last time.” She’d been searching for her dog and the current grabbed her. “All I saw was two hands off the moonlight,” Poisson says, adding the woman was pulled out and recovered. |
