P.E.I. ski patrollers get training they hope they'll never have to use
CBC
It was all fake on Saturday. But if a grandfather ever did have a heart attack while trying to help his injured grandson, who happens to be blind, the ski patrollers at Brookvale, P.E.I., should know exactly what to do.
That was one of several scenarios during the annual field day at Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park.
Oh, and while they were tending to the grandfather and grandson, what if one of the patrollers fell off the chair lift and had a huge gash on their head?
While that's happening, a couple of people fat biking break a couple bones.
And a girl appears lost and looking for her mom.
To top it all off, someone just accidentally ran over their spouse in the parking lot.
"I call it a cascading event," said Craig Taggart, an instructor and trainer with the Canadian Ski Patrol.
"It's sort of one thing and when they think they've got that under control something else happens. But it's a really good way to put everybody's skills to the test and especially on a day where it's good and cold."
Taggart, who recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Ski Patrol, said the scenarios were meant to be extreme and not something they would typically deal with on the small P.E.I. hill.
More common injuries are to the collarbone or wrist, he said, and it's important ski patrollers know how to treat the person on the hill, stabilize them and transport them down to the lodge where an ambulance or vehicle can take them to the next level of care.
"We hope we never have to use it. But we know how to do it if we need to."
Jeff Powell was among the 20 or so ski patrollers who took part in the exercise on Saturday. He said the training was helpful as they prepare for the upcoming ski season.
"Understanding how the stuff works on paper and applying it in the field are two completely different things."