National Search and Rescue Program - Organizational Structure

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:

Operational SAR response

The Department of National Defence is the lead ministry responsible for providing and coordinating SAR response for incidents involving aircraft, and incidents involving vessels in federal or international waters. This is accomplished through the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which operates 3 Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCCs) as well as various dedicated SAR squadrons of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

The three JRCCs are:

• Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax (JRCC Halifax)
• Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton (JRCC Trenton)
• Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria (JRCC Victoria)

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, through the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), is tasked with responding to emergencies involving vessels that occur in waters of federal responsibility (all navigable ocean waters on Canada's Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts, plus the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and portions of connecting waterways). CCG personnel, in coordination with RCAF personnel, also staff the 3 JRCCs and CCG exclusively staffs a Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC): Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre Quebec. There was also an MRSC located in St. John's, Newfoundland until it was closed for budget cuts in early 2012.

Regulatory SAR policy

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.