Reservists and Regulars Build Komatiks for Ex NORTHERN BISON

Source: Army News

Soldiers from the Arctic Response Company Group (ARCG) spent the first week of December building komatiks (wooden sleighs) in preparation for Exercise NORTHERN BISON 2011 from February 15–28.

MCpl Calin Ritchie drills pilot holes into the plastic runner as Sergeant Tim Fletcher, 2 PPCLI, holds the runner in place.

The Canadian Forces (CF) will be contributing to a top government priority—protecting the territorial integrity of the Arctic—and the komatiks will play a crucial role in ensuring that the soldiers can successfully move, shoot, communicate and sustain themselves in austere northern conditions.

“We will be packing a komatik with the UMS [unit medical station] and another komatik will be like a snow ambulance,” said Master Corporal Calin Ritchie, a medical technician with 17 Field Ambulance.

The komatiks will be pulled by snowmobiles throughout the exercise that will see both Regular and Reserve force soldiers work together with 1 and 4 Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups as they conduct a 300-km trek from Churchill, Manitoba to Arviat, Nunavut.

Komatik construction

MCpl Trevor Champagne, 2 PPCLI, uses a propane torch to help bend the plastic so it properly moulds to the runner.

The komatiks were constructed using 2 x 10 and 2 x 6 lengths of wood lashed together, nylon or plastic strips for runners, galvanized nails, screws, rope and glue. “Well, the first thing you have to do is build the runners,” said Sergeant Alex Brown, of the ARCG.

“You take 2 x 10s and laminate them together. Then you cut them down to size, attach the plastic runners, drill holes in them to attach the [2 x 6] cross members.” The cross members were lashed to the top of the runners using black polyester weave rope with the core removed.

“The hammering hurts after a while,” said MCpl Ritchie, who was setting the nails deeper after they had been driven through the plastic into the runner. “Especially when you hit yourself a couple of times.”

Sgt Alex Brown, Arctic Response Company Group, lashes cross members onto the komatik.

“Everything has been going really well,” said Sgt Brown. “We’ve gotten a lot of work done in the past couple of days and, by the end of weekend, we should have everything completed.”

The goal was to complete 29 komatiks during the week. In addition, the troops from 38 Canadian Brigade Group (38 CBG) and 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI) built boxes to carry UMS supplies and other items. Both will be essential to Ex NORTHERN BISON 2011.

Ex NORTHERN BISON 2011 – Austere Shooting Range

Members of the Arctic Response Company Group took time out from their long trip to fire their Service Rifles, General Purpose Machine Guns and (always the crowd pleaser) the .50 Machine Gun.

Canadian Arctic Response Company Prepares for Ex NORTHERN BISON 2011

Gimli, MB – Arctic Response Company learns to handle new equipment, environment.

Transcript:

Cpl Gomm
38 Canadian Brigade Group’s Arctic Response Company traveled to Gimli Manitoba for a mobility exercise in preparation for Exercise NORTHERN BISON

Maj Desrochers
The purpose of this exercise what we have here today soldiers from 38 Canadian Brigade Group which is comprised of personnel drawn from Northwestern Ontario on through Manitoba and Saskatchewan we have a group of 89 soldiers here today who will be undertaking their preparatory work for deployment to the Arctic. Were going to be undertaking a 300 Kilometer mounted patrol from Churchill to Arviat Nunavut and today’s is to set the conditions for that patrol by allowing us to practice our tactics, techniques and TTPs in short what were trying to go through is to make sure our equipment and personnel are prepared to undertake a 300 kilometer mounted trek and today is very much ongoing practice to make sure our equipment and personnel are ready.

Maj Desrochers
Today were doing a work out it is in essence a shake out, we’ve had a couple of exercises at the home unit level where in terms of practicing working with winter equipment and winter tent groups and some of the mobility ex . What were doing here today on Lake Winnipeg is taking advantage of the lake and the environment which is quite similar to what they will experience up in Canada’s arctic between Churchill and Arviat.

Cplc Kuzub
Well I was there last year it was nice but the weather was very nice last year this year who knows if we will be lucky like that again

Maj Desrochers
No we haven’t had any challenges with regards to equipment, we’ve got some good equipment out here and the personnel are experienced with it. One of the challenges with regards to experience and that’s what were working on here today simply getting soldiers who aren’t necessarily familiar with the operations of snowmobiles, more driving time and practice driving in a group because its quite different and everyone here a lot of them are recent graduates from their course to qualify and operate the snowmobile, now were out here in the environment to give them the requite experience to undertake the travel