The Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team (OVERT) Inc. is an entirely new concept in community participation, education and response to Search and Rescue operations, community emergencies and disasters. Our team has expanded upon our original role as a SAR team, taking from this experience to make our organization more capable of assisting our community during major community emergencies.
OVERT has developed a technical rescue program, and is currently training members to be part of this elite team.
The technical rescue unit is among the most specialized and highly trained units deployable by OVERT. Members of OVERT’s technical rescue team are required to meet the minimum training requirements expected of all GSAR ERV’s in addition to the training requirements of the Technical Rescue Team.
The training program was developed for the teams back country response needs, and also in line with the NFPA for it’s urban response requirements. Using a two rope system the rescue technicians on this team are capable of performing both cliffside, slope and building related technical rope rescues. Conducted over two weekends, with an additional day of medical training, the basic training for the our rescue program requires a significant level of commitment from each member. After the five day course is completed team members will continue to train for up to a year to become certified as OVERT Technical Rescue Technicians. Total annual training requirements for the Technical Rescue Team will be a minimum 40 hrs, following certification.
Members are trained to to a level of proficiency in slope, self rescue, pick off rescues, belay, high angle,and highline rescues.