Nova Scotia Guard deployed for 1st time to support search for missing children

The new Nova Scotia Guard program has been activated for the first time to support the search for two Pictou County children.

The guard is a group of volunteers with various skills who can be called upon in times of emergencies or natural disasters like floods, blizzards and hurricanes. 

Police and search and rescue teams have been searching for Lily Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4, since they were last seen Friday morning at their home in Lansdowne Station, about 20 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow.

The RCMP requested help from the Nova Scotia Guard on Friday, provincial spokesperson Patricia Jreige said in an email. The Department of Emergency Management sent out a request for volunteers immediately.

Those volunteers have been working in shifts to help with food distribution, overnight protection of equipment, parking, and giving directions to the large number of first responders in the area.

"This assignment for the guard has done what we envisioned for the program," said Jreige on Monday. "It's allowing first responders and ground search and rescue to focus their efforts on the search, while the guard members provided support in a very carefully co-ordinated approach."

Jreige did not have the exact number of volunteers deployed so far, but said the province had "received many positive responses back."

Last week, provincial staff said about 2,000 people had signed up to be part of the guard and 900 had gone through orientation and were deployable.

Meredith Cowan, executive director of the planning and preparedness branch of the Department of Emergency Management, gave an update about the guard during the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities conference in Truro last Thursday.

"Nova Scotians want to help and we want to make sure that when they help, that their help is useful and that we have the right people in the right spots," Cowan said during a presentation.

Cowan said all volunteers go through a criminal records check, and are sorted into three levels based on their credentials and experience.

People in Level 1 might be called upon to work in a comfort centre, complete a wellness check, go grocery shopping for a senior or someone else with limited mobility, or even walk a dog, Cowan said.

Level 2 would include volunteers who have special credentials, like using a chainsaw safely, Cowan said. She said Level 3 would be volunteers with "advanced skills" like incident command, and would lead other volunteers.

Sandra McKenzie, deputy minister of emergency management, said the guard is meant to support first responders — not compete for duties.

"If you're involved in a search, there are people [who] can show up and make sure that you're fed, you have a warm place to sit down and have a cup of coffee, and then you're off to do the important work that you're doing," said McKenzie.

Cowan said the province is signing agreements with non-governmental organizations like the Salvation Army, Red Cross or Team Rubicon to have a better understanding of their work and where any gaps could be filled by guard volunteers. 

The guard network also allows closer connections with community groups, Cowan said, like ATV and snowmobile organizations. 

McKenzie said guard volunteers have three types of insurance coverage: liability, death and dismemberment, and a type of workers' compensation that is a partnership with the federal government. The workers' compensation insurance is the same policy that covers ground search and rescue teams.