The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Aviation and Forest Fire Management Program provided support on a medical emergency call Sunday in the Shabaqua area of the Thunder Bay District.
The afternoon was a sweltering hot and windy day when the Thunder Bay Fire Management Headquarters received a request for support via the Central Ambulance Communications Centre.
They were told that an air ambulance helicopter was flying to the Shabaqua area in response to a 911 cell phone call they had received from a hiker.
The request to the MNR was to see if a smaller helicopter may be available if necessary to access the area where the hiker was waiting. Prior to the fire helicopter arrival, paramadics had been dropped off in a nearby swamp where they walked into the person requiring medical care.
Two fire helitack helicopters were dispatched with FireRanger crewmembers on board, prepared to assist in whatever way possible, whether to help bring the person out, or build temporary helipads for the helicopter to land on.
FireRangers on board the helitack machines were able to communicate with the paramedics to let them know they were coming, and a FireRanger crew did a hover exit over the swamp to go in and assist.
The paramedics had provided emergency care on the scene and the hiker was able to walk to the swamp where the fire helicopter was able to take the patient and the paramedics over to to the air ambulance helicopter by the local school.
Meanwhile, it was a quiet day in the West Fire Region yesterday, with no new fires reported in the region by early evening, and two fires declared “out.” This leaves three active fires in the region, which are not expected to pose any problems.
The fire hazard is “low” to moderate across most of the region but remains “high” in northeastern portions of the Nipigon District and the southern portions of the Fort Frances and Thunder Bay Districts.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
