Video – Volunteer Members with OCEAP Train in Cobourg
Lost in the woods and yelling for help hoping you’ll be found.
That scenario, along with others took place on Saturday, May 24, 2025 by members of OCEAP (Ontario Community Emergency Assistance Program) in Cobourg Conservation Area (east of William Street and south of Elgin Street).
OCEAP volunteers serves Port Hope, Cobourg and the Northumberland County area.
They are a not-for-profit corporation established in 2006 and a Partner in Community Safety.
OCEAP serves local communities by recruiting, training and deploying volunteers when requested by emergency services such as police, fire or ems.
Volunteers are trained to provide ground search and rescue services. In addition, members are trained to meet a number of roles during other emergency situations such as evacuation centres or emergency operations centre support.
There were approximately 16 members of the group taking part in their monthly training.
Each month, locations vary for the training. On Saturday, members spent approximately eight hours at the Cobourg Conservation Area where training consisted of lost hikers, or finding injured persons.
Carrie Jeffrey, Search Manager said the afternoon training extended into the evening which gives a totally different perspective of searching for individuals.
“Everything looks very different. There is a lot more obstacles and it makes searching much more challenging. It gives people exposure to that nighttime training because we really have to be available whenever we are called out.”
Jeffrey said OCEAP has MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Cobourg and Port Hope Police. In the past they have looked for missing person’s or assisted police with evidence searches.
All members are volunteers that come from a wide variety of professions.
Jeffrey is in software sales in Toronto, but all volunteers come from a variety of jobs with one goal – to help their community.
“We set up call up hours and call off hours, but we are typically available around the clock.”
On Saturday there were six members searching with OCEAP for the first time.
“They are getting their first exposure to the woods and getting wet and how that feels searching.”
OCEAP members come from as far as Mississauga, Durham and Northumberland County.
“Depending on where they live really determines how fast they can get to a scene. By the time police call us out and we send a call out to members we are usually able to respond on scene within 45-minutes.”
Jeffrey said the reason she volunteers, “is to serve the community and giving back to the community. And finding that unique group of people that all have that same mind of donating their time, doing something different to benefit the community.”
Training each month, Jeffrey said their focus is to create “muscle memory.”
“So when you come month to month to train, you just get to know what’s expected of you and just get into that search mode.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love