The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

•f THE CANADIAN STATESMAN. AUGUST 29,2001 PAGE 3 To the rescue Volunteer search group needs a few good men and women BY JACQUIE McINNES Staff Writer DURHAM - When a child is missing, missing, precious minutes count and the difference difference of an hour out in the elements or on the street can be fatal. It was a lesson learned by Durham Regional Police Services in the early 90s when it experienced a rash of missing persons, relates Shane Harbinson. But, he adds, it is impossible for a police force to have a contingent of officers at the ready to address the manpower needs of an emergency search. So for four years, from 1991 to 1995, Mr. Harbinson, Harbinson, in conjunction with Durham Police, planned and developed OVERT (Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team) Search and Rescue, a Durham-based volunteer group of men and women ready to answer the call when a person goes missing and the clock is ticking. "In order to have a reasonable chance of success we need at least 40 people," ; out searching at any given time, says Mr. 'Harbinson, who adds OVERT needs to < have a presence at the search area for at • least 36 to 48 hours, while allowing volunteers volunteers to take breaks after a 12-hour I;shift. That's something OVERT cannot 'effectively do with its current volunteer * contingent. This year, the organization is ^looking to add more recruits to allow it ;to fulfil its important mandate. "We're looking to increase our contingent contingent by about a third," he says, noting the agency currently deals with about 160 volunteers a year. Last year, those volunteers dedicated about 20,000 hours to searches. Since 1996, when OVERT became operational, Mr. Harbinson estimates estimates it has conducted search and rescue operations for 80 to 100 missing persons, persons, including children, Alzheimer's patients, people believed to be suicidal, those with mental disabilities who became became lost and people who were victims of foul play. "You look at any of these individuals individuals and they are all very much at risk with a very low survival rate beyond six hours," relates Mr. Harbinson. Which is why timeliness and scope of the search is so important. In regions that do not have a group like OVERT ready to take charge of the rescue effort, Mr. Harbinson says, by the time a large-scale search is organized it is usually a body recovery mission. "A lot of our people arc on a pager-system," he explains. "When the pager goes off they leave work," and within an hour or two they are at the search site and fully briefed. "We arc a self-sustained search operation. operation. We bring everything to the scene required; required; a canine unit, mountain bike unit, medics, road supcivisors, communication communication system and dispatch radios," as well as two trailers which serve as a communications communications post and an operations centre. There arc people alive today who are only here because of the timeliness in which OVERT is equipped to respond, says Mr. Harbinson. Now, as the agency looks to take this service to the next level, OVERT is con- Dttring ct training exercise at Harmony Creek Conservation Conservation Area, OVERT unit chief Dan Martin, right, ducting a different kind of wide-scale search, for suitable volunteers. "We expect a heck of a lot out of our volunteers. We look for people who are' going to be dedicated and professional, who don't have a lot of time taken up already already with other commitments. We need to have flexible people," he says, adding they have to be a personality-type which "can fall into a para-military agency." Recruits must be willing to spend about 50 hours each year in training, in addition to time spent searching. They must be willing to drive to search areas within Durham Region and some will go as far as Cobourg, Lindsay, Port Hope and even other parts of Ontario to assist police in other jurisdictions. All volunteers volunteers must be 20 years of age, have Grade 12 or equivalent education, no criminal record, be physically fit and have standard first aid and Level C CPR. An information session will be held on Thursday, Sept. 13 at the Garnet Rickard Recreation Arena, 2440 King St. W. in Bowmanville from 7 to 9 p.m. A resume and proof of age ar e required. ANDREW IWANOWSKl/Statesman photos talks with members Paul Smith, left, anti medic Mike Fortune. OVERT member Mike Fortune checks a "body" during a training session at Harmony Creek Conseivation Area. ! Street name problems ring a Bell ■Phone company says : Clarington will have : to eliminate 5 duplicate names ; BY JACQUIE McINNES • Staff Writer • CLARINGTON - Bell Canada "should invest more money into a new ;,911 emergency response technology ;so residents wouldn't have to change 'duplicate ' street names, suggests a [local councillor. ; Ward 4 Councillor Gord Robinson 'is critical of a plan by Bell to eliminate "duplicate street names within the municipality municipality to accommodate a new, sophisticated sophisticated 911 mapping system. The councillor, whose own street will be affected by the change, is calling on the telephone company to pay the cost to improve the service so street name changes will not be required within Clarington. ' But Bell says the system must be •consistent provincewide and it cannot .'make an exception for Clarington. ; "There are other alternatives and -Bell is not looking into these," con- • tends Coun. Robinson. "They take a "lot of money out of this municipality. 'Bell has alternatives but it seems they • won't be proactive," he adds. For Durham Region to adopt the latest generation of provincial 911 technology, it must eliminate street name duplication within each municipality, municipality, according to Judy Tollman, Bell regional manager for 911 service. There are a number of duplicate •street names in Clarington due to the [amalgamation of many towns, villages land hamlets into one municipality in [the early 1970s. Bell has been convert- ring to a new technologically-advanced .system across the province since 1994, [says Ms. Tottman. Across the province [a consistent standard has been set for rihe mapping required to implement the -system. "In trying to be as consistent as [possible we have used the Ontario Municipal Municipal Directory," for the mapping, •says Ms. Tottman, who notes requests •for specialized systems have been '.made in other municipalities. She says [the company had "many different versions" versions" of Coun. Robinson's request -and "when going through a consensus [exercise" in 1995 it determined the [mapping system must be based on a ["common approach, an accurate approach approach and a cost-effective approach [because the service is being paid for by our subscribers." The approach that may mean delaying implementa- chosen was to base the mapping on ad- tion of the mapping system. He says dresses in the directory. he believes Bell should be responsible "According to the Ontario Munici- for paying any additional cost for more pal Directory there is only, one place, detailed mapping down to the hamlet Clarington," shejrsa^ . addjngÿ.tlkltiSJçYeliri" ; - ; means there can'only be one.'street ' Mayor'John Mutton says although ■Using a particular name.within this ju- he is disappointed the system will not risdiction. Ms. Tottman notes Durham Region's Region's 911 system was updated to the latest 911 technology in 2000, except for the mapping which cannot 1 be implemented implemented until the duplicate street name issue is resolved. "We made a compromise in introducing introducing the technology without the mapping component. The system is not firing on all cylinders," in Durham Region she says. Coun. Robinson says he will consider consider asking council to pass a motion, which would require Bell to consider improving the system to allow.duplicate allow.duplicate street names. He acknowledges allow all Clarington streets to këep their original names, he would be concerned concerned to see council do anything that could jeopardize safety of its citizens. "Bell should pay for it but they're not going to. If Bell does it for one municipality it is going to have to do it for every municipality in Ontario. I have asked planning staff to call Bell in and have them attend some of these meetings but this is the hand we've been dealt and we must deal with it. "Either we change the names of these streets or we incur huge liability. No one in this municipality is going to ignore advice if it means jeopardizing a life." Bowmanville Senior Public School 105 Queen Street, Bowmanville ON L1C 1M7 Welcome Back! Tuesday, September 4th, 2001 • 8:15 a.m.^-AH students to meet the teachers outside where they will be • directed to an assembly area and assigned their homerooms. • 8:25 a.m. - Regular start time Students must be in class prior to bell. • 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Lunch - Bring a lunch - No pizza today. (Students are not to leave school property during lunch without parent supervision.) • 2:50 p.m. - Regular Dismissal New Registrations - please call the school for an appointment during the week of Aug. 27 to Aug. 30,2001. (905) 623-3323 Sharpen Your Tactics for Back to School With/»* V\ic-o! - • ■ V h-;/^ The • Tic «CM", is a mind numbing • •* mental assai* that rocks and tattles your grey nutter and batters your logical pathways with infinite possibilities - and you can still lose! Is it luck? Is it math? Who knows! vtaf ■ Va c--V' c * 0 toiiW' 7 ? THEATRE DAMCE -k* ACADEMY ** ★TAP ★ BALLET *JAZZ +HIPHOP +THEATRE DANCE +POINTE *ACRO Classes for Ages 21/2 and Up ■ iW< W I «8 Mail-In $5.00 Rèbate AflC-O? I First Name:. ill I I Address: hi -- I Ÿ-' 1 I ! Mr Mrs. ■ Ms. Mias.. Last Name: M . City:, | Prov./State:. Postal/Zip Code:. E-mail: If j Phone: ! l imit one k-ImIc per household. address or organization. } Ofier Limitation*: Offer expires December 31,2001. Requests must he postmarked by January 14.2002. i Allow M weeks for delivery of die rebate. Proofs of purchase will not be teturned. This offer Is not valid In { conjunction with any other promotion. Ibis coupon can not be redeemed by any tvluiler.lb Receive your S5.IX) I | rebate: Enclose the original proof of purchase of The "Tic 4 OP" will» the pmduct and price circled on the receipt. I I Mall your completed limit and original reclcpt to: Tac e Tli ,, OI'" S10U Rebate otter P.O. Box # 9028 toi 1 MUIUkv Ave. Mal Joli», NU IUI. 41*1 * OSHAWA STUDIO. 435 Bond St. East (between Wilson Rd. and Ritson Rd. * Returning Students: Tues, Aug. 21st 12 p.m.-7:30 p.m. New Students: Tues, Aug. 28th 2 p.m.-7:30 p.m. COURTICE STUDIO. 2651 Trulls Rd. Unit 3 lust south of 112 l-lwv. * Returning Students: Wed, Aug. 22nd 12 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Wed, Aug. 29th 2 p.m.-7:30 p.m. BOWMANVILLE STUDIO. 16 Caristrap (Liberty mid Baseline - 4 streets * east of Liberty off baseline) * Returning Students: Thurs, Aug. 23rd 12 p.m.-7:30 p.m. New Students: *-)<★* Thurs, Aug. 30th 2 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Call today 906-435-0762 *., New Students: *-k 799 BL00R ST., W., OSHAWA 905-404-0525 www.durhamchrvsler.com