IAMSAR Solutions - Air Marine Search & Rescue

Reserve your 2025-2026 SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC) or Maritime Search Planning (MSP) course NOW for your JRCC/MRCC/ARCC personnel! Delivered at your own location or in Canada and tailor-made for your organization’s needs. Availability is limited. Hurry!

Sar Aeronautical and Maritime Subject Matter Experts

Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) Training

Our fully bilingual SAR Mission Coordinators (SMC) benefit from a worldwide reputation as experts in Search and Rescue operations. We train all nations based on the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual (IAMSAR), Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS), ICAO Annex XII and a multitude of other conventions. Due to its complexity, extensive instruction on the COSPAS SARSAT system is mandatory on all training sessions. Students will learn how to utilize LEO/MEO/GEO satellite data effectively and clearly comprehend all aspects of 406 MHz beacon detection (FBG and SGB) and methods of prosecution.

In addition to being highly experienced, our head instructors are members of the Canadian Professional Trainers Association. All our courses are designed and delivered by Registered Professional Trainers, certified by the Institute of Professional Management. IAMSAR SOLUTIONS provides support to countries who wish to implement the highest SAR training standards to their RCC. We provide on-site analysis, system evaluations, recommendations, and training plans specifically designed for each client. We consider your needs, operating system, topography, SAR assets and many more critical elements. We cover basic and advanced skills such as interviewing techniques, investigative skills, search effort allocation, search planning, tasking of assets and coordination. 

IAMSAR Solutions offers tailor-made courses that are designed for your regional context. Courses are delivered by experienced SAR instructors and are available in a variety of formats. IAMSAR Solutions provides training to organisations worldwide.

SAR Training Courses

SAR Consultation

For more information on courses:

IAMSAR SOLUTIONS offers the following standard courses for any RCC: 

Fully updated for 2025! Our 15-day course based on IMO SMC Model Course 3.14 is by far the most comprehensive SMC training available. It is designed for JRCC personnel and covers all aspects of aeronautical and maritime SAR. Delivered right to your location and tailor-made to your country’s geographical specifications, this mobile course includes advanced training in all fields required to become a knowledgeable and effective SMC. It is based on IMO and ICAO publications and features best practices of reputable SAR benchmarks used in countries such as Canada, and the United States. Simulations are carried out to challenge the students in a very interactive setting. Course contents are adjusted to meet specific ARCC or MRCC/MRSC clients.

Click here to see the SMC course outline.

This 10-day course fully prepares the candidates to assume the responsibilities associated with a complex, large scale SAR operation. Based on IAMSAR manuals, in accordance with the International Maritime Rescue Federation and best practices, it includes 12 modules plus case studies and simulation exercises. Students will learn about accounting and retrieval, sample checklists, command, control and coordination, the SAR Coordinator, the SMC, the On-Scene Commander and Aircraft Coordinator, Incident Command System and more. This course is offered as part of our Mobile Training to your premises.

Both courses are offered independently or together as part of our Mobile Training collection. Each training session is of a 5-day duration and reflects IMO and ICAO standards of training. We discuss roles and responsibilities, safety, appointing the OSC and ACO, roles in a Mass Rescue Operation, managing multiple assets, relationship between ACO/OSC/SMC and more. Simulations are carried out for maximum student participation.

ICS 100/200/300/400
Maritime Search Planning
Aeronautical Search Planning

All course outlines and materials are copyrighted to IAMSAR Solutions; usage or reproduction is strictly forbidden without written permission from IAMSAR Solutions.

RCC Evaluation and Assistance

IAMSAR SOLUTIONS provides onsite evaluation and feedback on current and proposed RCC operations, policies and systems. As experts in the field, we assist in maximizing the effectiveness of current operations and ensuring that new RCC start with the best possible foundation. 

Why not have one of our expert SMC come to your RCC and augment its staff for a short while? Your RCC will benefit from a wealth of experience associated with prosecuting more than 10,000 incidents yearly. Learn from the best in the field, gain crucial knowledge to help your SMC do their job better.

SAR Transformation Matrix

Your organization may wonder if it is doing SAR in the most effective and efficient way. You may be relatively “young” in SAR experience and would like to benefit from proven methods and procedures to gain the necessary knowledge and maturity to save more lives. Perhaps internal reviews have been conducted in the past with mixed or no results. Or, you know there is something wrong with the existing system and are unsure how to proceed. This is where IAMSAR SOLUTIONS can assist you.

Our SAR transformation matrix is a systematic approach designed to quantify how a country carries out SAR at all levels: administrative, legislative, operational and financial, and transform it into a lean and highly effective organization. All aspects of a country’s SAR system are objectively assessed to determine its current functionality and efficacy.  A complete world benchmarking process is also conducted and compared against your country’s current practices. Gaps, if any, are identified and solutions will be recommended.  A comprehensive implementation plan is created and executed to build a system of excellence. A succession model is provided to maintain self-sufficiency at your organization, at the conclusion of our mandate.

Contact us for more details on this exclusive service, which is already in use in several countries around the world.

IAMSAR Solutions - SAR Tech Search and Rescue
IAMSAR Solutions - RCC Search and Rescue

SAR Consulting

IAMSAR SOLUTIONS provides consulting services to both government and private industries. Whether you are developing a new SAR software for any application or require subject matter expertise in developing training plans for active tenders, we have the experts and a solution for you. Contact us with the details of your project; we want to help you achieve your goals.

Our Experience

Aeronautical and Maritime SAR operations are by far the most difficult and complex situations to oversee by a Rescue Coordination Centre. They typically involve the management of numerous airborne and waterborne assets distributed over a fixed or moving search area, usually compounded by the remoteness of terrain. Things rarely go as planned…aircrafts break down, weather deteriorates, and mission parameters change with every new piece of information unearthed during the investigation by the SAR Mission Coordinator.  A SMC needs to have the tools, the expertise and the Situational Awareness (SA) to navigate through these scenarios toward the best possible outcome for those involved.  

We know how to do Search and Rescue. Our experts originate from the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Coast Guard. We are veteran SAR Mission Coordinators with decades of experience working in Canadian JRCCs. We speak SAR at the user level, we understand your needs and we know how to train your staff.  We look forward to working with your team to build your program, and most importantly, save lives.

IAMSAR Solutions - Search and Rescue
IAMSAR Solutions - Search and Rescue
IAMSAR Solutions - Search and Rescue

From The President

IAMSAR Solutions - Jean Houde, President

Jean Houde is the President and CEO of IAMSAR SOLUTIONS, a company that specializes in search and rescue (SAR) activities at the national level. The primary focus is on Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) training, development, evaluations and the transformation of rescue centres to new universal standards.

Jean retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force after serving more than 30 years as an Air Navigator. He actively flew on SAR missions for more than 13 years on the venerable CC130 Hercules aircraft. Accumulating more than 4,400 flight hours as Chief Navigator Instructor, he saw every possible SAR scenario unfold from the air often while searching in marginal weather conditions. He held various positions such as Training Officer, Standards Officer and Course Director for the international SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC) course. He also spent 3 years at the Canadian Mission Control Centre (CMCC) as a Cospas-Sarsat operator. He was awarded a total of six medals for extended tours in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kuwait and Africa during humanitarian missions.

His career then took him to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Trenton where he spent the better part of 12 years as an SMC. Once again, he distinguished himself as a Training Officer, Standards Officer, Deputy Officer-In-Charge (DOIC) and Officer-In-Charge (OIC.) Managing dozens of incidents simultaneously, both aeronautical and maritime, is nothing new for Jean. His undisputable expertise in SAR and RCC made him the authority on the subject which is why he decided to create IAMSAR SOLUTIONS following his retirement from full-time military service. 

Today, he provides SAR consulting services to both government agencies and the private sector. In 2018 he participated in a massive SAR restructuring project in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He trains RCC personnel in various countries on how to use their Mission Management Systems and provides international SMC training. Jean’s passion for search and rescue operations continues to evolve as he works to raise awareness of SAR best practices and elevate all JRCCs to standards of excellence. 

#ThatOthersMayLive

Contact Us

613 Huyck’s Point Road  Wellington Ontario, CANADA
K0K 3L0

1-613-885-6100 (WhatsApp)
E: jean@iamsarsolutions.com

 

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