National Search and Rescue Program:  Awards of Excellence

5.0   Selection

5.1       Awards Committee

While the National Search and Rescue Secretariat administers the Awards of Excellence as part of its National SAR Program mandate, selection of recipients will be entrusted to an Awards Committee, chaired by the NSS and comprised of representatives as follows:

• National Search and Rescue Secretariat – 2 representatives (Chair + 1)
• Federal (e.g. Canadian Forces, Coast Guard, Parks Canada) – 2 representatives
• Provincial/Territorial (e.g. police service, emergency measures) – 2 representatives
• SAR volunteer community (air, marine, or ground) - 2 representatives

Representatives from these communities with SAR knowledge and experience will be invited to form the SAR Awards Committee.  Committee members cannot themselves be nominees, or have submitted nominations to the program during the time they serve on the committee.  If a close associate, colleague, or relative of a sitting committee member is nominated for an award, that member will withdraw from voting or commenting on the nominations in that category.  The mathematically-driven evaluation grid eliminates possible subjectivity from one member having a notable impact on the final scoring, as there are eight committee members who will be evaluating and scoring the submissions.  

5.2       Review Process

The nominations will be reviewed in a two-step process:

1. Administrative review.  Following the final submission date for nominations, the NSS Awards Coordinator will review all nominations for completeness and clarity.  Nominators may be contacted should clarification be required.  During this administrative review the NSS may also, upon consultation with the nominator, suggest that a nomination may be better suited for a different category that the one originally selected.  The nominator, however, will have the final decision.
   
   
2. Assessment of Merit.  When the administrative review is complete, the nominations will be forwarded to the Awards Committee members for review and scoring.   Each committee member will complete an evaluation grid for each nominee.  The Committee will meet in person and/or via teleconference to discuss their results and make a final decision, based on the total points given to each nominee.  The most deserving recipient in each category will be determined through a ranking system.  Ties or deadlocks will be resolved by a secret ballot in which the chair will abstain from voting.

Based on the advice of the Committee, the NSS reserves the right to present more than one award per category; or, to decline presenting an award in one or more categories during a given year, regardless of the number of received nominations. 

5.3       Announcement of Results

Once the Awards Committee has made its final decision, the NSS Awards Coordinator will advise each nominator whether their proposal was successful.  The NSS will also contact the selected award recipients, and provide them with information on the awards ceremony and related arrangements.  Award recipients, nominators, and committee members will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement valid until the SAR Awards of Excellence results are made public by the Executive Director of the NSS.

The NSS and the Awards Committee members will not share details of the committee’s deliberations, or why a particular nomination unsuccessful.