Pickering Auxiliary Rescue Association - PARA

What We Do

During the regular boating season from May to October, PARA volunteers provide over 1,100 hours of service to the boating community.

PARA has assisted over 3,000 people in emergency situations, of which 260 of these were life threatening. PARA volunteers are on call 24 hours a day to respond to any emergency situation. Search and Rescue (SAR) activities include night searches in response to emergency flares, overdue vessels, and calls for assistance from vessels in distress, as well as suspected drowning. Regular boating activities monitored by PARA include summer sailing races and events, sail boarding activities, and all recreational craft activities. These regular patrols are carried out Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings as well as all day Saturdays and Sundays, and all public holidays.

Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) units like PARA can often respond to emergency situations and Search and Rescue incidents faster than the regular Coast Guard due to our close proximity to the main areas of boating activity. PARA has many volunteers who live in the surrounding areas of Frenchman’s Bay and the Frenchman’s Bay Yacht Club where the rescue boat is moored. PARA is frequenting called upon for Search and Rescue missions due to the enhanced capabilities of our vessel. The proud and respected marine call-sign P.A.R.U. has remained through generations of vessels with a long history of community service, dedication to duty and a commitment to safety on the waters of Lake Ontario.