Pointe au Baril is fortunate that 911 services DO exist for medical emergencies. In Pointe au Baril, we can call for help - both to 911 or to the Canadian Coast Guard out of Britt. The story below has a happy ending but what was learned along the way may be helpful to others who aren't quite sure just where to start!
I was sound asleep at 1:30 a.m. when I awoke to a big thud and then a crash of a painting falling of the wall. I immediately thought that there may be a bear in the cottage. I picked up my big flashlight by my bed and got up to see what was going on.
To my shock, my wife was unconscious and face down on the floor. I immediately tried to wake her, and she slowly regained a semi-consciousness state. She said she was ok, but she wasn’t. I checked her pulse, observed her colour, and looked for perspiration, fearing heart issues. She seemed to be slowly recovering so she went back to bed. I stayed up listening to and watching her.
The next morning, she felt nauseous and lost consciousness again…out cold. In my moments of abject fear and ignorance, I decided to call 911. The chap who received my call was cool, calm, and collected. I was not.
The 911 dispatcher walked me through a list of things to check such as pulse, breathing, alertness, and so on. He asked my municipal address which I did not remember and asked me to confirm my GPS Coordinates which he had through pinging my phone. I have an Apple Watch, which provides the GPS coordinates, so I was able to confirm. He then asked whether there were any other physical features I could give him that might help. “Yes”, I said, “a 35’ white flagpole with the Canadian flag.” He said that help was on its way. He was right. He dispatched volunteer help from Bayfield Nares Inlet and a helicopter from Parry Sound. The paramedics took over calmly and competently. We got my wife down our stone steps to the dock where the Bayfield Nares gang loaded her onto a pontoon boat which took her out to the point where the chopper had set down in a very tight space. Talk about impressive!
The chopper took her to the Parry Sound Hospital where she was treated immediately…the doctors told me that it was good that I called for help!
I wasn’t watching the clock during this ordeal, but I think it was around one hour from the time I called 911 to my wife’s arrival at the hospital…wow!
Tests and more tests followed including a CT scan trying to rule out serious underlying conditions which they thankfully did.
They kept her overnight for observation and, with the advice and gentle encouragement, we came back to our cottage.
So, what lessons have we learned?
For medical emergencies, dial 911 and the operator will coordinate the response.
The Britt Canadian Coast Guard is more local and works with 911 emergency services to transport patients to the Pointe au Baril mainland to meet the EMS responders. This can be a big-time saver at night and in bad weather when transporting patients from remote water locations can be very challenging.
- Be able to share with 911 or CCG what you observe about the person having the medical emergency
- Pulse, colour, alertness, nausea, perspiration
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.
- Know your ToA address (green sign on your dock)
- When asked for your location, give them both your w3w and GPS (see below)
Learn your w3w (“what3words” is a unique combination of 3 words given to every 3 metre square (10 ft Sq) area globally by a UK company to help people communicate precise locations easily and quickly) as well as your GPS coordinates by clicking on this link; then, once on the site, scroll down to fill in the ‘address field’ with your exact address and your already established w3w and GPS coordinates will come up.
- Write ALL emergency information down and display the information in a prominent place (example: on your refrigerator).
- ToA Property Address (found on your dock or learned by calling your Township)
- GPS Coordinates
- w3w
- Emergency phone numbers: 911, for Britt CCG 800-267-7270, and any local rescue personnel
- Input this information in your phone for safekeeping.
- Be able to give distinctive markings at your location (# docks, flagpole with what types of flags, near a location such as Ojibway, Range Light, Poplar Island, etc.)
- Know your neighbours and have their contact numbers already in your phone’s contact list. Perhaps set up special group lists to text simultaneously
- Establish and review your own plan of action
- Write it down on this Emergency Card created by PaBIA or create your own
- Consider your location, time of day or night, equipment needed to carry someone down the rocks
- Discuss it with your family
- Discuss it with your neighbours.
Written by a PaBIA islander for all the Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association membership
pabia.ca August 2022
