
By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press
On January 19, 2025 in Toronto, members of the Tobermory Coast Guard were presented with the 2024 “Rescue of the Year” Award at the 26th Annual Awards Ceremony of the Canadian Safe Boating Council. Receiving the Award were Commanding Officer, Captain Lauren Ardiel; Engineer, Scott Colman; Rescue Specialist, Jackie Kennedy and Deck Hand, Dawson Lucier.
The team was nominated for the Award by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The incident that prompted the nomination took place on 13 October 2024 near Dorcas Bay, on Lake Huron.
Rescue of the Year Award for response to incident at Dorcas Bay
On October 13, 2024 the Ontario Provincial Police Communications Center (PCC) in London received a call regarding four people in the water off Dorcas Bay from an overturned canoe and two kayaks. The call was placed by a person onshore that reported that the four persons were in the water. The caller estimated that the people had been in the water for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The caller indicated that the persons in the water were several hundred meters from shore, with high wave and wind conditions blowing them further offshore. It was reported that all four persons were wearing life jackets and were clinging to each other.
The caller also expressed concern about the cold fall water conditions and length of the time the vessel occupants had been in the water.
The London-based OPP Provincial Communication Centre (PCC) dispatched Police, Fire and EMS, but it was quickly determined that there were no Police or Fire vessels in proximity for a feasible response.
London PCC then contacted the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Trenton for an integrated response to the overturned vessels and occupant rescues. JRCC tasked the Tobermory SAR Station to the incident.
Departing quickly from the Tobermory SAR station, the SAR crew were faced with high winds and rough sea conditions while responding to the incident location near Dorcas Bay, Lake Huron. Arriving on scene, the SAR crew located the four persons in the water clinging to each other and immediately retrieved them from the water. It is estimated that the vessel occupants had been in the 14C degree water for approximately 45 minutes, before being rescued onto the Coast Guard vessel. The SAR crew initiated first aid to the people who were all suffering from hypothermia from the lengthy cold-water exposure. All four people were in a mild to moderate hypothermic state experiencing limited movement, and varying levels of consciousness and awareness. While rendering first aid, joint coordination was continued between JRCC, Police, Fire and EMS for victim transport to the Tobermory SAR station where they would then be transferred by EMS for enhanced medical care to the Lion’s Head hospital.
While transporting the people to shore, the health conditions of two of the rescued persons continued to decline, reaching moderate to severe levels of hypothermia. Rendering the required first aid, the rescue specialists made concentrated efforts to keep the patients conscious as their body temperatures continued to drop.
After arrival at the Tobermory SAR station the patients were transferred to the care of EMS. The four people were transported to the hospital where they were treated for hypothermia and subsequently released when their conditions improved.
Captain Ardiel says “Several factors contributed to the success of this rescue: the vessel occupants wearing the appropriate lifejackets was significant given the length of time the occupants spent in the cold water and their declining medical condition; the training of the Tobermory SAR Crew and their recognition of the severity of the situation, and their subsequent swift medical response provided; and the strong working relationship, coordination and communications between the multiple responding Emergency Services.”
“This type of rescue in varying degrees of severity is unfortunately quite common for most of our Coast Guard stations throughout the Great Lakes”, states Captain Ardiel. In this particular response, time was a critical factor as well as the ability of the rescue specialists to offer simultaneous medical response efforts to numerous patients during transportation to Tobermory.
Captain Ardiel says “when I informed my crew about the award, their initial response was “but why? this is our job”. To me the award is more of a representation of my crew’s continual hard work and dedication to keep everyone safe out on the water. I am very thankful to the Canadian Safe Boating Council for recognizing our efforts that day. It is an honour to receive their recognition.”