RCMP patrol vessel part of local disaster exercise

Crew members of the Murray, the RCMP patrol vessel, and officers with the dive team are in the Bay of Islands taking part in the mock disaster exercise that begins today.

Whether it was residents or passengers of the Grand Princess cruise ship in port on Tuesday, the 21.62-metre catamaran type vessel was an impressive sight tied up at the waterfront. The Murray and the Underwater Recovery Team are two of the resources that help the police in their duties on water.

"A lot of people walk by and are caught off guard, they don't realize the RCMP has an asset such as this," Cpl. Lloyd Hillier, the captain, told The Western Star Tuesday.
Stationed out of Burin, the vessel patrols the border between St. Pierre and Newfoundland and assists in the crackdown on liquor smuggling into the province. The four crew - three officers and a civilian engineer - is pushing the coastal watch program targeted towards terrorism and other illegal activity.

"We go into remote and coastal communities where fishing and boating are big, and basically we encourage those people to report suspicious activity so we can follow up," Cpl. Hillier said.

The vessel is in operation year round, mostly on the south coast, but has also been tasked for fishery and wildlife investigations throughout the province and Atlantic region.
It is also the platform for the Underwater Recovery Team in its investigations and training exercises.

The captain, a mariner prior to becoming a police officer, said they have been mainly kept out of the loop as it pertains to the Ocean Guardian III exercise.

However, he expects they will be a key player in the test taking place in the city and surrounding areas today and Thursday.

"Because we have never been involved in anything major like this, it will give us an idea of how we should handle it," he said. "It should gives us the chance to fix any mistakes we make and deal with issues that we may come across in a real life situation."
While a number of federal, provincial and municipal agencies and departments are being tested on their ability to respond and communicate to a major disaster at sea, there is at least one group that is on the job - so to speak.

Const. Steve Pike, a member of the Underwater Recovery Team out of Bell Island, said his unit will serve primarily as a safety net throughout the exercises. He and his fellow officers should only end up diving in the case of a real emergency.

"In essence, it is a real exercise for us," he said. "We are a safety net and we are their protection - the mobile lifeguards for the guys out on the water. They are here training in their activities, but this is what we do every day. We train outside of this, and we bring our skills here to make sure everything is done safely."

The RCMP dive team is a six-member unit that primarily assists in investigations that are in or around water, whether it be recovery of evidence or lost items of significant value or individuals themselves.

Being on an island with many lakes or rivers, Const. Pike feels the dive team serves a valuable role on the force to assist the general public or their fellow officers.