EMS Pleased With Response to Mass Casualty Incident

Thessalon, ON – 2004-07-07, 08:30 hrs

After having time to review and reflect on their response to the mass casualty incident that occurred on Highway 17 North last Tuesday night involving a Greyhound coach, the management of Algoma EMS are very pleased with their agencies response to the disaster. Last Wednesday night at approximately 3:24 AM,Algoma Emergency Medical Services (EMS), operated by the Algoma District Services Administration Board (ADSAB), was called to respond to one of the largest mass casualty incidents to occur in the region in sometime. A Greyhound coach struck a moose causing it to leave the roadway and strike a rock-cut prior to rolling onto its side in the ditch. The bus had over 50 passengers on-board at the time of the accident.

“Due to the number of passengers on-board, this incident required a full-scale EMS response”, said Paul Guertin, Algoma EMS’ Public Information Officer. “We have a plan in place to deal with incidents of this magnitude where our typically available resources become quickly overwhelmed”, said Guertin. “Basically, all four staffed ambulances in the division, one from each of Wawa, White River, Dubreuilville and Hornepayne, are dispatched to the scene and any additional ambulances required are requested from neighbouring services. Once the EMS on-call Duty Officer is notified of the incident, every offline emergency vehicle we have that can be staffed is put into service.” As the on-call Duty Officer, Mr. Guertin, who resides in Sault Ste. Marie, was able to respond to the Sault Ste. Marie Central Ambulance Communication Centre to assist in coordinating the response and ensuring that there was someone available to authorize Algoma EMS resources as needed. “When this incident occurred, Algoma EMS was able to staff three additional ambulances as well as have one of our supervisors respond with an emergency response vehicle capable of pulling our Emergency Support Unit (ESU) to the scene”, said Guertin. “The ESU trailer was a god-send in this situation. It allowed us to transport a large amount of equipment, including backboards and immobilization tools, to the scene quickly and efficiently.” The ESU trailer is stationed in Wawa and is one of two such trailers recently purchased by the ADSAB for situations just like this. The service’s other ESU is maintained in Elliot Lake to provide similar coverage for Algoma EMS’ eastern division. “Once the northern division supervisor was on-scene and able to assume the role of EMS Site Coordinator, the ambulance and Paramedics who were first on the scene became available to transport patients. We were fortunate that our northern division supervisor, Dan Blanchette, was available to respond to the scene. This essentially provided us with another ambulance for transporting patients”, Guertin added. “Mr. Blanchette informed me that our on-site plan for just such a large-scale event worked flawlessly and that the cooperative effort put forth by all agencies involved was second to none.” “The Paramedics had a job to do, as did the CACC and each agency there, and it couldn’t have gone much better than it did”, said Blanchette.

Other agencies involved in the response included the Sault Ste. Marie CACC, the OPP, Michipicoten Fire Department, two air ambulances, Reid’s School Bus Line, Thunder Bay EMS (Marathon) and Sault Ste. Marie EMS. While there was one fatality, eventually there were sixteen patients transported by ambulance and approximately another thirty-five ‘walking wounded’ brought into Lady Dunn Health Centre in Wawa by school bus.

Paul Guertin, 
Deputy Chief of EMS

Please contact Paul for any further information at:
Phone: 705-542-3329
Fax: 705-842-3747