About Us

The Comox Valley Marine Rescue Society and RCM-SAR Station 60 Comox have been operating within the community since 1978. These dedicated Marine Rescue Volunteers provide an invaluable service to the people of British Columbia, particularly the Comox Valley, by providing Marine Search and Rescue services to commercial, recreational and tourist users of the waters surrounding the Comox Valley. They also interact directly with the community providing Boating Safety education and prevention training – all with the aim of saving lives on the water.  Our area of coverage is from Oyster River to Fanny Bay and as far as Texada Island in the Georgia Straight and will assist neighboring Unit’s if need be.

These dedicated Marine Rescue Volunteers and community members donate many hours of their time in order to be trained to Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue training standards. These volunteers go on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and respond within minutes in order to assist someone in distress. The Marine Rescue Volunteers of Station 60 pride themselves in the fact that since their formation they have never refused a rescue mission assigned them, no matter what the weather, sea state or time of day.

The Comox Marine Rescue Society is a charitable organization that owns the Cape Lazo, the 37’ fast response rescue vessel operated by Station 60. It is an all weather, day or night capable rescue vessel that is instrumental in providing life saving service to any size of vessel in our area of responsibility, which extends from Campbell River to Powell River to Parksville.

Besides doing over 200 hours of training a year and responding to over 50 rescue missions in the last year, the unit and society are actively involved in the community and respond to numerous community events. The volunteers can always be seen with the Cape Lazo at any water related event and on land they provide Boating Safety displays and presentations, as well as vessel inspections and safety awareness. They can be also seen responding to passing cruise ships or assisting visitors, which are all part of the tourist industry. They work together with fire, police and Ground Search and Rescue (SAR) on many missions and training exercises.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue –Station 60 is very active, maintaining a highly respected presence in the community and is supported by the Comox Valley Marine Rescue Society.
  • The Mandate of Station 60 is dedicated to saving and protecting lives and property in the Marine environment, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.
  • The Cape Lazo is capable of towing large disabled vessels, searching and locating lost or disoriented boaters, and recovering persons from the water under the most severe weather conditions.
  • RCM-SAR Station 60 is responsible of covering approximately 500 square miles of Georgia Strait.
  • Vessel Traffic in this area of responsibility includes every boat from kayaks to cruise ships as well as incidents within our Marinas.
  • Community Services such as the Comox Fire Department, the R.C.M.P. and the B.C. Ambulance Service all work in conjunction with Station 60.
  • Assisting the Snowbirds air demonstration team with on water coverage during their performance over Comox Bay.
  • Nautical Days and the Snow to Surf Race are two major community events that the Unit is committed to providing safety and support to.
  • The Cape Lazo Power and Sail Squadron and the Courtenay & District Fish & Game Protective Association work closely with the Auxiliary to provide safety education on the water.
  • Courtesy Boat Inspections are also provided by trained members of Station 60.
  • The Comox Valley Marine Rescue Society is a charitable organization that owns the Cape Lazo and the RHIB, Paul Giles. The Cape Lazo is a command fast response vessel now in its 8th year of operation. Station 60 operates the vessel with over 40 committed and highly trained community volunteers.
  • As the vessels cost over $20,000 per year to operate, the Comox Valley Marine Rescue Society requires donations from both the public and special interest groups (see Sponsors Page) to keep these vessels operational and well equipped.