In the days following a blizzard that walloped southern Manitoba, some emergency crews are reflecting on the day, and offering some advice should there be a next time.
Paul Wiebe, chief for the Hanover Fire Department, said his crews were quite busy starting at 7:30 on Friday morning.
"We did a total of five accidents that we responded to," he said, and noted two of of those included multi-vehicle incidents.
"By noon, we were all back in the (fire) hall and available, but it was quite a busy morning for us. It was also a pretty extraordinary event that we were having," he said, adding it was unlike anything he has seen in 35 years.
"We've often had storms that have been as bad or worse, but it seems like this one, for whatever reason, came upon us fairly quickly and the winds were incredible. That was a big driving force. But I do not recall having this many highway incidents, and the pile-ups, we experienced this Friday," Wiebe said.
Fortunately, he said there were no serious injuries.
"Chain reactions can happen fairly quickly, which also makes it quite dangerous for our responders," he said. "In one case, they were at the scene of a call, and another crash happened within the protected area they were working in, so yeah, it can get quite dangerous fairly quickly."
He said emergency personnel need to be seen, but that can be difficult when they are first securing an area — particularly in a blizzard. However, they do have protocols for keeping both crew members, and patients, safe.
J.C. Normandeau, chief of the La Broquerie Fire Department, said his crews didn't respond to many collisions on the day of the blizzard, but they did respond to a 14 car pile-up.
"It was definitely an eventful morning," he said. "Getting to an accident of this magnitude is not something that we do every day, but at the end of the day, I believe everything turned out for the best."
Normandeau explained the pile-up resulted in several minor injuries, but no fatalities.
It's the largest collision site he has ever responded to.
"I think we've had three or four vehicles in an accident, and that would've been the most I've seen," he said.
Safety tips
While Normandeau and Wiebe said every situation is different, there are some standard safety measures people should know during weather like Friday's.
"First-off, if you don't have to navigate the roads in stormy weather, it's best to stay home. Though, I understand that people have to go places," Normandeau said.
"If you do get caught in a pile-up, if it's safe to do so, stay in your vehicle. Especially in a stormy situation, if you wander off outside, you might get hit by incoming vehicles."
Wiebe said to calculate each situation, and act accordingly. For example, he said staying in your vehicle may not be the best choice if one is stuck in the middle of a highway.
He added, if staying in one's vehicle, it's important to stay buckled and, no matter what, make sure emergency services know where you are.
"If you are in the ditch, stay there. Call 9-1-1, let us know where you are and wait for emergency responders to give you direction," he said. "Make sure the people with you are safe before going out to help others."
Normandeau said it is good to stay on scene when possible, or contact emergency services after the fact.
"It's nice to know," he said, and added not to venture too far in snowy conditions, unless one knows the places, residents, and businesses nearby.
Praise for first responders
Kleefeld resident, Sheldon Schroeder, said he commends first responders that were out on the day of the blizzard, and for the work they did to ensure everyone could make it home.
"I got caught in the storm like a lot of people did. When I left Steinbach (to go home), I was thinking, 'this is going to be really, really tricky,'" he said. Sure enough, just a few kilometers away from his home, he got stuck behind an accident along Highway 52.
"For a while, I felt very disheartened and was thinking, 'Oh boy. This could be hours.' But all of a sudden, out of the blue — or out of the snow — the fire truck showed up and within half an hour or 40 minutes, we were travelling. It was fantastic," Schroeder said, also thanking RCMP and a tow truck that was on scene.
"They got it all under control, and I could make my way home. They did a fantastic job when everyone wanted to be home instead of in the snow."
After a 50 car pile-up between Blumenort and Ste. Anne during the blizzard, Southern Health-Santé Sud triggered code oranges at Bethesda Regional Health Centre and Hôpital Ste-Anne Hospital.
In a statement, it expressed gratitude for the teams involved.
"Southern Health-Santé Sud would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the first responders and staff at both hospitals for their swift response to the code orange events," it said.
"At the end of the day, it was definitely a good learning experience," Normandeau said.
Both he and Wiebe saying they are simply grateful the people they helped are OK.
Written with files from Shannon Dueck, Kenton Dyck, and Corny Rempel