In the 1950s the RCAF Royal Canadian Air Force maintained a base presence at Vancouver International Airport with an attached rescue squadron that included World War Two era PBY Canso float planes in the search and rescue role. This film which dates from the mid 1950s shows an acted simulation of the RCAF Canso crew springing to life to respond to a tugboat fire up the BC Coast near Powell River, with the injured finally being airlifted to Shaughnessy Hospital by an RCAF Piasecki H-21 Flying Banana.