GRAVELBOURG — The Government of Canada has recognized the 2024-25 Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award recipients and Tracey LaGasse of Gravelbourg was one of those recipients.
The government media release that accompanied the announcement stated, “Whether facing a global pandemic or confronting severe weather events, emergency response experts and volunteers nationwide save and protect people in Canada, safeguard property and the environment, and strengthen community resilience. Their remarkable contributions preparing for and confronting severe weather events and other emergencies earn our deepest appreciation and recognition.”
LaGasse was one of five Saskatchewan recipients out of 129 recipients at the Ottawa event Feb. 26.
“Gravelbourg has been my home for almost 28 years now, as I am a teacher at École Gravelbourg School where I teach Grades 8 to 12. I am originally from Vanguard. I am married and have two grown sons,” LaGasse tells the Assiniboia Times and SASKTODAY.ca.
Willow Bunch Fire Department was also recognized.
LaGasse was nominated for the Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award (EMESA) in the Search and Rescue Volunteers category by Linda Mushanski, the AdventureSmart provincial co-ordinator for Saskatchewan.
“One hundred and twenty-nine individuals received awards and have been doing some truly mind-blowing work throughout the country to make our people safer,” says LaGasse.
Honourees received a medallion and certificate, presented by Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan and Parliamentary Secretary Sherry Romanado. She was joined at the ceremony by Bobbi Buchanan, SARSAV president.
The Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award in the Search and Rescue Volunteers category. | Photo courtesy Willow Bunch Fire Department
LaGasse’s Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award recognizes recipients who have achieved excellence in their respective fields.
The nomination for read, “Tracey Lagasse is a distinguished leader in search and rescue (SAR) in Saskatchewan, recognized for her extensive contributions to the field since co-founding the Wood River Search and Rescue Chapter in 2000. As a passionate advocate for community safety, Tracey has served in various pivotal roles, including provincial secretary for the Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) from 2014 to 2020, and currently as a director and Indigenous liaison.
“Her expertise in training and program development is evident though her leadership in the SAR New Initiatives Fund project, which enhances capacity and training through Indigenous engagement. Tracey has authored an Indigenous engagement guide and facilitated the translation of key educational materials into multiple Indigenous languages, fostering inclusivity within the SAR community. She is a dedicated volunteer and has countless hours in training, fundraising, and mission response, serving as a searcher, team lead and AdventureSmart trainer. Tracey's commitment to collaboration and cultural awareness has transformed SAR training and practices, making her a key force in enhancing community resilience and safety.”
LaGasse has been with Wood River Search and Rescue since its inception on April 1, 2000. She has served a variety of roles , as well as becoming an instructor for searcher and team leader courses. She has also worked as a casual EMS since 1996. Her role grew provincially with Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV)
LaGasse’s award encompassed a special project she spearheaded.
“This project, entitled ‘Enhancement of SAR Capacity and Training with Indigenous Engagement and Integration in SK and Beyond’ (SAReCAT), focused on communication, engagement and outreach with Indigenous communities, leaders and SAR providers. It enhanced our training by being inclusive of the needs of Indigenous communities and increasing their internal capacity, in addition to bolstering capacity in all of our teams; it included the development of three virtual and augmented reality training and assessment modules which align with the nationally recognized CSA Ground Search and Rescue standards.”
LaGasse says they also adapted their training program to incorporate the knowledge, perspectives and collaboration of Indigenous communities; implemented cultural awareness training for SAR Responders; and produced a guide to assist chapters in cultural awareness. Most rewarding to her, is addressing SAR prevention by bolstering the AdventureSmart program through resource development in five Indigenous languages.
Trip planning, training and taking the essentials are three key messages of AdventureSmart.
Hug-a-Tree (HAT) was created after nine-year-old Jimmy Beveridge wandered away from a campsite on Mount Palomar, just outside of San Diego, Calif. in February of 1981. Hundreds of searchers scoured the area for four days before Jimmy was recovered. Within a month, two of the searchers created Hug-a-Tree to teach children four key messages: Tell someone where you are going; If you're lost, hug a tree and stay put; keep warm and dry; and help searchers by answering their calls.
In Canada, HAT has been available in English and French for 15 years. This project translated the colouring books into Plains Cree (Y-dialect), Woodland Cree (TH-dialect), Dené, Saulteaux and Michif. A Saskatchewan filmmaker was hired to produce videos with Elders telling these stories in each of these languages.
For more information about AdventureSmart and its programs, which are provided free of charge, visit https://www.adventuresmart.ca/
LaGasse acknowledges, “The absolute heroes of this work are the language keepers who did the translation work and videos.”
“While there were many highlights of my role as project manager, here are two I hold closest to my heart, both coming from the Hug-a-Tree work.
“When presented with the Michif colouring book, Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Minister Brent Digness said , ‘This needs to be in every household in Canada." (I couldn't agree more!)
“I and a fellow Wood River SAR member, Hank Korchalo of Ponteix (who is Saulteaux/Métis), visited some of our northern communities in person to engage in the conversations with our SAR teams. When visiting La Loche, former member Ken Roth was invited to the meeting. Ken is a residential school survivor. When he watched the Dené video, his eyes welled with tears. Then he shared with us that ‘When I was taken to residential school, I was beaten for speaking my language. Now, it has been given back to me. I am so grateful.’ (That comment was perhaps the greatest reward of the project.)”
