Online ExclusivesRear-Admiral David Gardam, Commander Search and Rescue Region Halifax, regarding the operation that rescued Troels Hansen and Oliver Edwards-Neil. Received November 16, 2012.
I would like to commend the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for their hard work and professionalism day in and day out. It is their quick actions and tireless efforts which result in many successful search and rescue operations.
I would also like to address the successful search and rescue operation that culminated in the rescue of Mr. Troels Hansen and Mr. Oliver Edwards-Neil by the Atlantic Enterprise as part of an integrated Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (Halifax) operation. This operation speaks to the ability of our search and rescue teams to operate in harsh arctic conditions in cooperation with the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the network of government and civilian organizations and volunteers, whom are all a part of the integrated search and rescue system. Any suggestions that Mr. Troels Hansen and Mr. Oliver Edwards-Neil were left for dead are inaccurate, considering the search logs associated with this case clearly illustrate our search efforts were ongoing with multiple assets involved right up until the moment the survivors were found. In fact at the time of their rescue, the evidence clearly shows that the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax was in the process of increasing the intensity of the search effort, not decreasing it. Therefore, making the suggestion that the search had been called off, or reduced, and the victims were "Left for Dead" is the complete opposite of what was in fact occurring. Search and rescue team involved in this operation were professional, and well focused, while employing the assets required to bring that operation to a successful conclusion I have included some of the facts associated with this case to enhance your understanding and that of your audience.
Respectfully,
Rear-Admiral David Gardam | Commander Search and Rescue Region Halifax
