Ladysmith Resident Honoured with Public Safety Award from Province

The Town of Ladysmith wishes to extend a warm congratulations to local resident John Lamb for receiving a Public Safety Lifeline Volunteer Award from the Province of BC.

Lamb was one of six Public Safety Lifeline volunteers recognized for their contributions to emergency and disaster response in the province.

A ceremony was held at the Parliament Buildings as part of National Volunteer Week, April 7 to 13, 2019, where Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, presented the awards.  

Over 13,000 Public Safety Lifeline volunteers across BC play a key role in emergency response by assisting with duties such as air and ground search and rescue, radio communications, and emergency support and victim services in the event of a natural disaster.

Continue reading below for Lamb's biography as a volunteer member of the Provincial Emergency Program Air, or PEP Air:

John is a licensed commercial pilot with over 4000 hrs and 38 years of coastal flying experience. He was introduced to the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) through his friends in the Nanaimo Flying Club and was inspired by CASARA members to use his aircraft and skills to help others in distress.

John has flown over 1000 volunteer hours comprised of 280 training flights and 110 operational searches during his 33 years as a CASARA/PEP Air pilot. John is currently the senior PEP Air search pilot and training officer for Mid-Vancouver Island. Amongst John's many accomplishments, he and his crew were awarded first place in two National SAR competitions (2004 and 2015) and first place in the 2009 Western Canadian competition.

John's most memorable accomplishment was designing and leading the re-construction of an un-used hangar to create a permanent training facility and search headquarters for Mid-Vancouver Island PEP Air. Several members of his Nanaimo PEP Air team contributed their time and skills to make this facility a reality. The four-month construction project is an outstanding example of the spirit and dedication of their members.

John and his team member's capability to conduct air searches is only possible because the PEP Air volunteers maintain their training and certification to fulfill many ground roles and crew positions. The support and training that they receive from the Royal Canadian Air Force (442 Sqn) is essential for them to maintain the professional search capabilities required for their work.

Finally, John would like to thank his wife Lillian for supporting his PEP Air endeavours including sudden absences for search call-outs. (Source: Province of British Columbia)