Unsung heroes who answer emergency situations simply go about their duties without hesitation.
Such cases often go unrecognized so that’s what makes the Island District RCMP Awards Ceremony in Victoria such a prominent occasion. The awards ceremony highlights exemplary work done by police officers and civilians alike when faced with challenging situations.
Last October’s awards featured many deserving recipients, including one to Nanaimo RCMP Const. Clay Wurzinger and police dog Boomer for their actions during an incident near Chemainus.
On Aug. 4, 2016, Wurzinger and Boomer were instrumental in locating a missing woman with a medical condition. She had not been seen for several days and no one knew her whereabouts.
The woman’s vehicle had slid into a ditch in a rural area.
“I remember being in my yard with the dog and the phone ringing to go and get on a helicopter to head out to the remote location,” Wurzinger indicated. “I quickly gathered a survival bag with sugar and the necessities to stay out overnight and was on the helicopter 20 minutes later at the Nanaimo airport.”
Wurzinger and Boomer located the missing female three kilometres from her vehicle and she was still alive. The woman had fallen down an embankment and been there for 5-6 days.
Training for both officer and dog came seriously into play on that day.
“When we initially train the dogs in Alberta there is a portion of the course that deals specifically on area searching where the dogs utilize air scent in order to indicate and locate items or people,” noted Wurzinger. “We continue this training once we enter the field and generally get numerous operational requests to utilize this skill for discarded evidence or missing people, etc.”
He said the award is much appreciated, but the individuals with Search and Rescue who spent the night prior to their arrival and were continuing to search deserve the lion’s share of the recognition. “I applaud their dedication and to see them interact with the family after the fact was something truly special,” Wurzinger observed.
Boomer is set to retire in mid-April at nearly nine years old. His service has all been on Vancouver Island, Wurzinger pointed out.
”I raised him from a seven-week-old puppy and we’ve been stuck together ever since. He’ll be moving indoors with myself to finally get some much deserved rest and relaxation.
“Of all the great captures, evidence searches, narcotics searches and public presentations we participated in over six years, this missing person search was the one that means the most to us as a team and validated the countless hours invested in training, conditioning and bonding it took to create an effective Police Service Dog.”
Wurzinger is currently working with an 18-month-old dog he’ll be taking to Alberta for re-training in April.
Members of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP were among the other award recipients.
“We are very proud of the efforts of all of our police officers, our partners, and community members that contribute to making the Cowichan Valley a better place to live,” said Cpl. Kiel Pharis of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP.