Mission Statement, Vision and Values

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue is a charitable organization whose volunteers provide marine SAR response 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our volunteers operate more than 30 marine rescue stations on the British Columbia coast and in the B.C. Interior covering 450,000 square kilometres of internal and offshore waters.

Our mission is saving lives on the water.

Our vision is excellence in community-based marine safety. The core of our operations, our values are built on:
Safety: our top priority and the forefront of all of activities from our Safety Management System to our thorough internal regulatory body and the Safety and Training Board.
Volunteerism: The spirit of volunteerism and sense of service to communities and individuals in need are at the heart of what motivates our members.
Professionalism: Our people, the quality of our operations and training, our equipment and our learning culture are all elements of the professionalism that distinguishes RCMSAR.
Community: We foster connection in the communities in which support our stations and to a broader community of responders who contribute to the safety of people in British Columbia.
Trust: The continued trust of the people who we serve and of our partners is the greatest measure of our effectiveness.

We save lives on the water

RCM-SAR Station 12 is a key part of the marine rescue system on the West coast. We serve lower sunshine coast communities, providing round-the-clock rescue on the water. As a result, in an average year we respond to more than 35 marine emergencies. These include sinking vessels, injured mariners, lost or disoriented boaters, recreational paddlers and shoreline searches.
We assist commercial mariners, recreational boaters and the general public through our search and rescue service as well as our boating safety programs.
RCMSAR Crew work to: Reduce the number and severity of SAR incidents, Promote marine safety, Support the Canadian Coast Guard & the JRCC, Provide a humanitarian service, Maintain the highest professional standards and Promote dedication and pride of membership. We also like to have fun and meet like minded individuals.

OUR VESSELS

RCM-SAR stations use a range of rigid hull inflatable boats. A well-proven platform for marine SAR, these vessels provide a safe, maneuverable and fast response platform.
The Ken Moore is Station 12’s Zodiac 753 Hurricane, built in Delta B.C. This vessel is powered by 2 Yamaha 4 stroke 175 hp engines, seats 5 crew and is located in Secret Cove poised to service the Salish Sea and Malaspina Straight. The Ken Moore was named after Station 12s first station leader.
The Lewis McPhee is a Zodiac 733 powered by 2 Yamaha 4 stroke 150 engines. It seats 3 and is located in Porpoise Bay ready to service the Sechelt, Salmon and Narrows Inlets. The Lewis-McPhee was named after longtime station members Don Lewis and Walter McPhee.

How We Fit

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue is the volunteer lifeboat service on the West Coast. Working alongside other agencies we respond to on-water emergencies with the Canadian Coast Guard, police, and fire departments and ground SAR. RCM-SAR handles about a third of marine emergencies on the West Coast.  In many places, the RCM-SAR station is the first marine emergency responder.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Victoria tasks us when there is an emergency. They are operated by the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard.  Once our vessels are underway, crews keep in touch with JRCC through Coast Guard radio dispatchers at MCTS Victoria. We resolve incidents independently or work with other agencies on the water.

International

We are members of the International Maritime Rescue Federation and part of an international community of volunteer lifeboat organizations. Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the U.K, the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM), the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS), and the Danish Sea Rescue Society (DSRS) are some examples of our international partners.
Through conferences and crew exchange programs, we share best practices with other organizations and promote the importance of marine search and rescue services.