History of Marine Volunteer Search and Rescue in the Pacific

In 1978, various Canadian volunteer marine Search and Rescue (SAR) groups decided to create a consolidated organization that would allow them to coordinate their equipment, knowledge, and training on a national scale. Of the six Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary associations that were formed across Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary-Pacific (CCGA-P) is the organization which serves British Columbia and the Yukon.

Over 1400 dedicated individuals have committed to volunteering with us at the CCGA-P. These volunteers in turn belong to one of 49 community-based units throughout the Region. Each station grows from the communities it assists, allowing the services to be integrated with local needs. Most stations have community-owned fast response vessels, and other stations provide SAR service through dedicated owner-operator vessels. Collectively, over 127 vessels are available through the CCGA-P for marine SAR in the Pacific Region.

The CCGA-P is a dedicated and skilled part of the National SAR network.

The CCGA-Pacific participates in resolving nearly one-third of the SAR incidents that occur on the coast of British Columbia, either as the principal resource, or as an additional response resource. Our members also provide pleasure craft courtesy checks to mariners within our communities, and reach out to the public with boating safety education programs, so that more and more incidents can be prevented and our waters are safer for everyone.