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The National Search and Rescue Program (NSP) is the name given by the Government of Canada to the collective search and rescue (SAR) activities in Canada. The NSP is administered by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) and it provides for the coordination of public policy for the provision of SAR services.
The primary goal of the NSP is to save lives at risk throughout Canada's Search and Rescue Region of Responsibility (SRR); this includes all of Canada's land mass as well as areas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans as designated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The NSP involves federal departments, provincial and territorial governments, municipalities, non-profit organizations, and volunteers working together to provide search and rescue in Canada.
Organizational structure
The Lead Minister for Search and Rescue (LMSAR) in the Government of Canada is the Minister of National Defence. Responsibilities are broken down within the federal government as follows:
The Department of National Defence is the lead federal department responsible for providing and coordinating SAR response for incidents involving aircraft that occur both on land as well as in all of Canada's ocean and inland waters. This is accomplished through the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which provides personnel (air controllers) for the three Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCCs) as well as various dedicated SAR squadrons of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is tasked with responding to emergencies involving vessels that occur in waters of federal responsibility; this includes all navigable ocean waters on Canada's Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts, plus the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and portions of connecting waterways. This is accomplished through the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), which provides personnel (marine controllers) for the three JRCCs, as well as various dedicated SAR vessels for inshore, near shore and off shore operations.
The three JRCCs are:
The National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) is an independent agency of the federal government, reporting to the LMSAR, and supports and promotes the activities of the National SAR Program (NSP) as a means to achieve highly effective and economically responsible search and rescue programs throughout Canada. The NSS was established as a national coordinating authority for SAR policy in Canada; this was one of the key recommendations resulting from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Ocean Ranger disaster.
The Department of Transport, through its civil aviation and marine safety programs, plays a supporting role to the NSP by working to prevent air and marine transport incidents requiring a search and rescue response. This is accomplished through policies relating to regulations, inspections, enforcement, and safety promotion functions.