Henri
Talon is the Provincial
Training
Coordinator for OSARVA and can be
contacted by any of the following methods:
Phone: (705) 235-9336
Email:
logan@ntl.sympatico.ca
Overview
Currently SAR training across
Canada is being revised in order to
develop a consistent, national
standard. Previously in Ontario
training was conducted in four
stages, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and
Search Manager. The new standards will cover
the same materials in three
modules: Basic, Advanced and Search Manager.
Basic Training
Contact OSARVA for all training
materials (not the O.P.P.).
Upon successful completion of Basic
Training OSARVA members
will receive a Certificate of Completion and an ID card.
Teams
can submit their training information to Henri Talon to
receive their ID
Cards.
Recerts
An annual recertification is required
to keep your Basic Searcher
status current. Recert packages are available from
Henri.
Trainers
Trainers are trained by the O.P.P. and
are re-evaluated each year.
Contact Henri for a list of available trainers in your area.
K9 Training
OSARVA has been working with the
OPP to implement a
consistent, evaluated
standard for
K9 training. The standards are
very close to those
required of a police service dog working at this
level with respect to
searching and tracking. The K9 program will
form part of the
MOU between the OPP and OSARVA.
Some things to remember are that
these are team standards – dog
and
handler together. Handlers have to be OSARVA
certified and be
part of a team and K9 teams have to be registered
OSARVA teams meeting all the
applicable requirements.
Once a suitable number of dogs
are believed to be ready an
evaluation date will be set. For
consistency evaluations will be done
in
one location. Pre-evaluations will be conducted
to prevent
candidates from coming all the
way
down and not passing the
evaluation.
Dogs at all levels are welcome.
Beginning dogs can get set up with
training or if the dog is
believed to be ready s/he
can be brought in
for an evaluation. Dogs do not need to be of a
specific breed
but they must
be non-aggressive.
With respect to agility
standards the OPP are somewhat
flexible with specific breeds but there
will be no flexibility with
respect to operational work.
The training program is quite
extensive with
many variables
including the experience level of
the dog and handler. The OPP
program is nine weeks, working
everyday to bring a new dog and
handler up to standards. The training time for
SAR dogs will depend on the
volunteer’s time commitment.
Successful Dog/Handler teams will
be issued a certification card
and an
annual recert will be required. Handlers will maintain an
extensive training log and should be honest about
weakness in the training log as
you can be given guidance at prescreening. Handlers
must also maintain an operational log.
For additional information and to
see the list of requirements see
K9 Training.
ID Cards
ID Cards are now
available. The front of the cards will be the same
for all teams. This uniform
appearance will
allow the cards to
be recognized
as the OSARVA standard by
all police jurisdictions.
Cards will expire every five years to keep the
picture current.
Similar to a fishing license,
stickers with recert dates and
initialed by
the trainers will be attached
to the back.
Send your head shots
(no hats) on a black or white background
along with the
names
of your trained members, and the
dates they were trained to Henri Talon.
Training Dates
Train
the Trainer January 8 -
12, 2007, OPP GHQ, Orilla, ON
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