Wednesday, Jan 19, 2005 from http://www.mail-archive.com/natnews-north@yahoogroups.com/msg00595.html

Water rescue team joins search for teens http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=community/fort&articleID=1820730

The search for lost snowmobilers Mathew Karey and Kora-Lee Prince is now at day 25.

RCMP recommenced the search for the bodies on Jan. 14 and are currently working with the volunteers and family.

“Search and rescue are fully involved again,” confirmed Cpl. Brent Ayers of the Fort St. James detachment.

During the last week, the Terrace Water Rescue team volunteered their services to the search.

“The reason why we’re there is we are there for the family, we are not there with PEP and we are not there with the police,” said the president of Terrace Water Rescue, Dave Jephson.

The 17 member water rescue team is a facet of Terrace Search and Rescue that is highly specialized in underwater rescue.

“We are involved with a large rescue organization in the States, Dive Rescue International, based out of Fort Collins as well as IADRS (International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists),” said Jephson who used his contact to secure a high-resolution sonar for the search efforts.

Kongsberg Mesotech Ltd. is working in conjunction with the rescue team and has donated a $25,000 sonar to aid the search.

The team began its work near the north shore of the lake, just off the Ministry of Forests dock.

Dwayne Sheppard, a member of Terrace Water Rescue said wind on Dec. 25 was blowing southwards from Mount Pope, possibly moving the helmets and gloves found last week further up the lake.

“It may be possible that the clues originated in this area and were brought across the lake. There is also an eyewitness of a snowmobile travelling in this area at that time of night, around 11 or 12 o’clock, and that’s kind of why we focused on this area,” he said.

To conduct an intense search of the area, the team set up a grid system along a base line.

“We expect to get a very good coverage of this area and after we’re finished we will just move along the grid system,” said Shepherd.

“We are spending about a couple of minutes at a hole and getting about a 15 metre coverage. Once we move into deeper waters, we can get a 120 metre coverage and that will be faster.”

The sonar equipment is being tested for the first time in such extreme conditions but the team says it is working very well.

Meanwhile, the privately funded ROV team from Sub-Oceanic Sciences Canada Ltd. wrapped up their work over the weekend.

The ROV covered 22 holes of 100 feet in diameter and went right across where the ice bridge would have been on Dec. 25.

“All the information that was gathered has been charted and they are working with that information and looking in areas that have not been covered,” said Mike Wood, the Duncan-based company’s managing director a ROV pilot.

“I advised the families that it would be a good time for us to leave now as they have the tools to continue the search.”

Fort St. James mayor Jim Togyi and Prince George MLA Paul Nettleton have been lobbying the Office of the Solicitor General, under whose jurisdiction the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) falls, to fund the search.

“I have been canvassing and will continue to canvass for support and assistance from the provincial government,” said Nettleton.

“But with respect to getting assistance for the private firm from Duncan or the firm from Terrace, that is not forthcoming at this time.”

Although the RCMP have recommenced the search and a PEP task number has been assigned, the Terrace team will not be reimbursed.

“I think there is a strong case to be made, that were it not for the fact that the RCMP has suspended the search, the whole thing would have been paid for and the group from Terrace would have been involved from the outset. That’s the case that I’ll be making and that’s the case that the mayor will be making. And we trust that the result will be a good result,” said Nettleton.

Terrace Water rescue president Dave Jephson says the team will remain in Fort St. James until the missing teens are located.

“They will come home,” he said.

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