Originally Posted By: clearwater
I would be very unhappy if a SAR was not started when two SOS's were spotted and ignored and a family member or friend died.

RCMP messed up.

Sorry if some are thin skinned.

Clearwater,
No one is denying that "RCMP messed up". SAR is done by human beings, and mistakes happen. Get used to it. Everyone involved does their best to learn from these mistakes to try to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

At the bottom of the article you linked, there was a link to an article with somewhat more information. See RCMP admit 'error' for not launching SOS search Here are some quotes from that (emphasis is mine):
Quote:
•Feb. 15 - The couple arrived in Golden after checking out of a hotel in Alberta. They didn't check into a new hotel, but immediately hit the slopes at the Kicking Horse resort. Later, they went out of bounds for some backcountry skiing, but became lost.
•Feb. 17 - A ski guide spotted an SOS signal that the couple had marked in the snow. The Golden and District Search and Rescue team and Kicking Horse resort were alerted. But a search of the resort parking lots for abandoned vehicles turned up nothing. The couple had parked their vehicle in underground parking, which was not searched. Neither did a search for missing ski rental equipment or missing persons reports from local hotels. The Golden RCMP detachment was not contacted.
•Feb. 21 - Two more SOS messages were found by ski groups. RCMP were called. They contacted Kicking Horse, who told them that the signal had already been investigated.
•Feb. 23 - The couple's family filed a missing persons report after the pair failed to return to their home in the Montreal suburb of Lasalle.
•Feb. 24 - Search and rescue was finally dispatched after a man waving his arms was spotted by a helicopter. Within an hour, Blackburn was rescued and his wife's frozen body was recovered.

So apparently RCMP was not even contacted when the first SOS was spotted on Feb 17. The RCMP wasn't contacted until a week after the couple went missing, when the second SOS was spotted on Feb 21. When RCMP investigated, they were told by the resort that the SOS had already been checked out. Was it really just RCMP who messed up? How about the resort? Or the couple themselves?

Sorry if you don't understand the reality of SAR.
_________________________
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