Awards of Excellence - Eligibility
Nominees
Volunteers and other SAR professionals
The National SAR Program Awards of Excellence are open both to volunteers and to those employed directly or indirectly in the field of search and rescue. Nominees may include, for example, search and rescue volunteers, university researchers, park wardens, police officers, students, public servants, military personnel, company employees, and emergency services workers, among others.
Contributions made to the advancement of search and rescue may therefore arise through work performed as a volunteer; as a paid employee; or through a combination of both. Those working full or part-time in the search and rescue field must be nominated on the strength of their superlative contribution to search and rescue, which is considered to exceed the routine performance of their duties.
Individuals and groups
Both individuals and groups (e.g. associations, teams, squadrons, societies, companies, ad hoc committees) may be nominated for awards.
Citizenship
Nominees must either be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada at the time of nomination. Foreign nationals may also be nominated for a direct contribution to the enhancement of search and rescue in Canada.
Age
There is no minimum or maximum age for nominees.
Posthumous awards
Although the Awards of Excellence are intended primarily to honour living people, posthumous nominations will be accepted up to 18 months after the death of the nominee. Awards will also be presented posthumously to any pending recipients who die before the awards presentation.
Previous National SAR Program award recipients
Recipients of the former Outstanding SAR Achievement Award may not be nominated for an Award of Excellence for Exemplary Service, unless the nomination is for new or substantively different contributions made to search and rescue since the previous award was presented.
National Search and Rescue Secretariat staff
Current employees of the National Search and Rescue Secretariat are not eligible for nomination.
Nominators
Overall requirements
Those nominating an individual or a group for an Award of Excellence must have direct (*) knowledge of the nominee's contributions to search and rescue. It is recognized that due to chain-of-command protocols within some organizations, the Primary Nominator may not be the one who has the authority to sign the nomination form. However the Primary Nominator must still have direct knowledge of the nominee's contributions to SAR. In cases of chain-of-command protocols, the Primary Nominator must sign the nomination form in the section entitled “Primary Nominator”, and the signing authority must sign the nomination form in the “Signing Authority” section.
* Direct knowledge means that the Primary Nominator has obtained the knowledge by observation of the work the individual or organisation is being recognized for. The purpose is to ensure that the individual/organisation being recognized is the one that actually did the work.
However the Primary Nominator must still have direct knowledge of the nominee's contributions to SAR. In cases of chain-of-command protocols, the Primary Nominator must sign the nomination form in the section entitled “Primary Nominator”, and the signing authority must sign the nomination form in the “Signing Authority” section.
Citizenship
Nominations for the National Search and Rescue Program Awards of Excellence must be made by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, who have a direct knowledge of the nominee's contributions.
Minimum age
Persons wishing to submit a nomination must be 18 years of age or older.
National Search and Rescue Secretariat staff
Current employees, as well as secondment staff and uniformed members currently serving at the National Search and Rescue Secretariat may not submit a nomination, nor participate in any part of the nomination process, of this program.
Nomination of groups/organizations.
Members serving within a group, team, or unit cannot nominate that same group, team, or unit for an award. An arms-length nomination within a larger organization is, however, permissible. For example, the president of a provincial search and rescue association may wish to nominate one of its member units for an award. Similarly, a program manager within a government agency may wish to recognize a district or regional office with a nomination. In such cases, nominations may be strengthened by statements of support from outside the immediate group/organization.
Nomination of individuals by colleagues
It is certainly permissible for individuals to be nominated by their fellow group/organization members, peers, subordinates, or supervisors. In such cases, however, nominations may be strengthened by statements of support from those outside the immediate group/organization. Self-nominations are not accepted.
- Date modified: