Canadian Coast Guard Information Kit

Search and Rescue

The Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) SAR program involves searching for and assisting people, ships or other craft that are, or are believed to be, in imminent danger.

The federal Search and Rescue (SAR) program, led by the Minister of National Defence, is a co-operative effort by federal, provincial, and municipal governments.  The Coast Guard’s role is to lead, deliver and maintain preparedness for the maritime component of the search and rescue program.

The Air/Marine component of the SAR program is delivered through five rescue centres, three of which are staffed jointly by Coast Guard and National Defence located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Trenton, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia, while solely Coast Guard personnel in Québec City, Québec, and St. John’s, Newfoundland staff the other two.

These five rescue coordination centres make use of any CCG vessel, including 41 dedicated search and rescue lifeboats stationed strategically throughout the country to provide the best possible response to maritime SAR incidents, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, a highly effective volunteer organization consisting of about 4,200 members and 1,165 vessels, augments these resources. In addition, use is made of all vessels of opportunity.

The highly trained search and rescue coordinators and crews of the rescue centres are responsible for the planning, coordination, conduct and control of search and rescue operations.  

Once the Coast Guard is notified that people are in danger, a search and rescue coordinator begins to organize the rescue.  All available information about the person(s) in danger is gathered and recorded and the positions of potential resources in the area of the incident are determined.  

Search and rescue coordinators are trained to evaluate various situations and send the most effective resources to deal with any incident.  CCG also provides assistance in incidents in which lives are not in imminent danger in order to mitigate human suffering, as well as protect property and mitigate environmental damage where appropriate.

The SAR program is responsible for developing specialized search and rescue equipment, supporting the international search and rescue community and working with other government departments and organizations to ensure the efficient provision of search and rescue in Canada.

In support of SAR operations, the CCG operates 116 multitasked vessels, all with the capacity to respond to SAR situations. In addition to the fleet, 24 in-shore rescue boats operate during the summer.

The Coast Guard co-ordinates the response to about 7,000 maritime incidents a year.  The majority of these incidents involve mechanical breakdowns and other situations where lives are not at risk. In an average year, the CCG saves about 2,900 lives; this represents about 97% of the lives at risk – one of the best records in the world.

Maritime search and rescue (24 hours) emergency numbers:

• Newfoundland and Labrador : 1-800-563-2444 (St. John’s)
• Nova Scotia, New Brunswick : 1-800-565-1582 (Halifax)
• St. Lawrence River and Gulf : 1-800-463-4393 (Québec)
• Central Canada and Arctic : 1-800-267-7270 (Trenton)
• Pacific Coast and Yukon : 1-800-567-5111 (Victoria)