Some of you might know that I'm a Supervisor for Clear Creek 9-1-1 in Georgetown. This is stuff I think about A LOT.
A few tips for people trying to reach emergency services:
As mentioned, cell service is spotty at many resorts, Loveland is actually one of the best in the front range, but there are still dead spots. If you're unable to place a call to 9-1-1, try texting. Text doesn't require as strong a signal as a call, so may go through in low signal areas.
Be prepared to provide:
- Age, sex, conscious/breathing status, chief complaint/injury.
- What trail are they on (if unknown, what lift did they take, then what?)
- How many in group? (if multiples, send someone to contact patrol or liftie)
- Do you know CPR?
- GPS coordinates (do you know how to quickly obtain these from a smartphone?)
- Clothing description
- Anything else you think will help patrol/responders find you
We can use technology to obtain location information, but it's far from foolproof, and whenever possible we will verify what we're seeing with what someone on scene shows on a smart phone. One program derives location information from triangulation between two cell towers and your device based on signal strength, which is probably the least accurate. This same system may be able to derive location from the chipset in the handset, but this varies widely depending on carrier and other factors. We've recently started using another program which is based on the same technology Uber uses. This is probably the most accurate when it works (the caveat with all this technology), and gives realtime updates with a breadcrumb trail. A lot of times we have to go back to basics, what do you drive? Where did you park? What trail/direction did you take? How long/far did you walk/skin? (more of a BC question)
The whole nation is currently undergoing a major transformation in the way 9-1-1 calls are delivered to PSAP's (Public Service Answering Points). Twisted pair and selective routers are being replace with network based IP. The promise is greater caller location accuracy, and a more robust delivery system, capable of handling not only voice, but subscriber information, vehicle descriptions, and real-time crash data, including location, number of occupants in vehicle, airbag deployment, speed at time of crash, etc. Smartwatches are already delivering some of this data (often while the owner is oblivious) to providers who then contact the local PSAP. With next-gen, all of this data will be available directly to the closest PSAP for appropriate dispatch.
I've done some modest BC touring around the county and have pretty much come to the conclusion that people need to go in with the mindset that they're traveling off grid. You might be able to get a call out, and we might be able to pinpoint your exact location immediately, and it could still be 2+ hours before the first responder arrives on scene with the victim. However long it took the victim to get from their vehicle to where they were injured, is approximately how long it will take to get a responder to you, plus the travel time just for the responder to reach your starting point. Air rescue is sometimes an option, but choppers don't fly in bad weather, and there are other variable including temperature, patient weight, elevation, terrain, etc. that may make chopper rescue impossible. I feel like in most BC accident scenarios, your best chance for survival is the other individuals in your party, especially in avalanche burials. Powder Addiction had their photog extricated in minutes, and provided him the best chance of survival. The first avy response I dispatched was in Dead Dog Coulior on Torrey's Peak. I think it took the reporting party an hour just to get into cell service, then probably another 2-3 hours before responders made contact. The patient was still alive when they got there, but passed shortly after they got him packaged. Speaking with the Coroner a few days later, seems the party has extensive internal injuries which were likely not survivable, even if the accident occurred right outside an ER. Somehow that didn't make it any better.
On a personal note, in 12 years in this field I've absorbed my share of vicarious trauma. We hope and pray for positive outcomes, and feel time move in slow-motion as we're trying to reach injured parties before it's too late. We're able to help far more folks than we're not, but seems like it's always the shitty calls that make the deepest impression/we carry around the longest. Thank God for the buffer of phones and radios, and hats off to the professionals carrying out these rescue missions. I've rendered CPR once on a friend because I knew I/we were his best chance of survival. Probably 20 close friends on a mountain bike ride, one who never finished. I remember the bunch of us walking around numb afterwards, reeling from the experience, riddled with shock and disbelief. I think it's experiences like that which keep me focused on the task at hand while dealing with hysterical callers and attempting to sound confident and optimistic when I probably know better. It's what I would want for myself/family member/loved one/friend in their time of need.
/blog
