Accidents at ATV run test emergency services

May 04, 2016

On April 30, two accidents took place at almost the same time at different locations about a quarter of the way along the route of the North Frontenac Spring Volunteers ATV Ride for Dad. Both accidents were in areas without cell service, and one of them resulted in a serious injury.

Three women suffered injuries and one of them, the driver of a two-seater ATV carrying one of the other women, was seriously injured. In responding to the accidents, all the preparation and training that the North Frontenac and neighbouring fire crews have undertaken over the years came into play.

At Saturday’s run, George Ross, the deputy fire chief for the Ompah crew of the North Frontenac department, was overseeing emergency operations at the Ompah fire station.

“We had three outfitted emergency ATVs rolling on the day,” said Ross, “and it was one of them that came upon the rollover that involved two riders.” When they called the accident in to the Ompah station at about 11:30 am, the call also went straight to the emergency dispatch centre in Kingston. Paramedics from the nearby Robertsville station in North Frontenac were the first on the scene, and were followed by two Lennox and Addington crews.

“The location of the accident was not accessible to the ambulance trucks,” said Ross, “so they went to the closest spot, at Arcol Road and Hydro Lane. The emergency ATV crews had to bring the women out to them in what we call a basket.”

Because of the nature of the injuries, progress along the 2½ to 3 kilometre stretch was slow, at walking pace, to make the ride as smooth as possible. Over 850 riders were participating in the run, which is one of the premier tourist events in North Frontenac each spring, so other fire crew members dealt with traffic flow to ensure a clear passage.

Once the women were delivered to the ambulance, the paramedics took over.

The victim in the second accident was ferried out to the same location by one of the riders she was travelling with.

By the time the paramedic services took over, the decision had already been made to engage ORNGEs, the Ontario Air Ambulance Service, because of the nature of the injuries and the distance to hospital. The seriously injured victim was transported by ambulance to the Ompah helipad, where the air ambulance was waiting. After a few minutes were taken to ready the patient for the transfer, she was loaded onto the helicopter and whisked away to hospital.

Although the name of the woman has not been released, she is known to be an experienced rider who has participated in most, if not all, of the previous ATV runs, and is a seasonal resident of the township. She is recovering in hospital, the News has learned.

The logistics of the rescue, which involved the run’s organizers, fire services, dispatch, and air and ground ambulance in a remote location with no cell phone coverage, and in a circumstance where time and careful treatment were of the essence, is something that could well have been imagined as an emergency preparedness or first response exercise. Coincidentally, the accidents took place on April 30, the day before First Responders Day, May 1, and the kickoff day for Emergency Preparedness Week, which is May 1 to May 7.

As for the ATV run itself, according to one of the organizers, Denis Bedard, the 850 riders was a record number. The run raised $15,000 for the Ompah Community Volunteer Association; $7,500 for the Ride for Dad program, which combats prostate cancer; $2,000 for the North Frontenac Food Bank; and $500 for programs at Clarendon Central Public School in Plevna.

“All in all, the weather co-operated, the participants enjoyed themselves, and the volunteers out-did themselves,” said Bedard.