St. John’s East MP Jack Harris said helicopter inquiry commissioner Robert Wells won’t be able to ignore the Department of National Defence’s role in search and rescue (SAR) for the offshore oil industry.
The inquiry’s mandate prevents Wells from making recommendations on where the military locates SAR bases.
But Harris told the inquiry today that Wells must take the military’s “slow” response time to emergencies into account when he make his recommendations.
“He can’t tell the Canadian Forces to reduce their response times,” Harris told reporters following the hearing. “It’s not in his jurisdiction, but he can tell Cougar that they can only fly when the Canadian Forces are available between eight and four on weekdays.”
Wells expects to make his recommendations next month.
The inquiry was established following the March 12, 2009, helicopter crash off Newfoundland that killed 17 people. One man survived.
Cougar Helicopters, which flies offshore workers to and from the province’s oilfields, is also contracted by the oil companies to provide first-response SAR services to the offshore.
Under Wells’ early recommendations, Cougar’s SAR helicopter must be airborne in 15-20 minutes — down from the previous one hour.
“He can’t tell the Canadian Forces to reduce their response times. It’s not in his jurisdiction, but he can tell Cougar that they can only fly when the Canadian Forces are available between eight and four on weekdays.” - MP Jack Harris
“A first responder may not be enough if we actually have a crash in which they are 18 survivors,” Harris told reporters. “One helicopter is probably not going to be sufficient to provide what’s required in terms of rescue.”
To deal with this, Harris said the commissioner may need to limit helicopter flights to times when military SAR is available on a more timely basis — namely between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays.
“The commissioner has to make a recommendation about whether or not there can be (offshore) flights outside of this eight to four window.
“As long as that Canadian Forces response time is as slow as it is — and inadequate in my view — then you know there may have to be more severe restrictions on the use of helicopters to transport offshore.”
The Department of National Defence’s (DND) search and rescue response times are 30 minutes on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and two hours at all other times.
Response time refers to how long it takes a SAR aircraft to get airborne.
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