Bvj 2009

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ironcoffin

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Just wondering who was there when the stage went down that was working EMS. I was first on scene and those (horribly taken) videos couldn't describe it at all.

Here's a link to some pictures: http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2009/08/01/10337591.html

I treated the lady in the first picture, 2nd picture is a person I transferred, and the 3rd picture is my teacher from my school.

I'm writing up what happened from 1757 on just 1/2 way done and I'll share my story.
 
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ironcoffin

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Ok sorry about the time delay but I got a last minute trip to the east coast with the family and there isnt many internet spots.

I am an EMT student. I have finished my didactic portion of the class along with two practicums and wanted to join BVJ for some extra experience.

Ok so around 1730 ish on the Saturday I was standing outside having a smoke out of the back of our medical station and noticing the dark clouds in front of me maybe 10km out. One of the guys from CCEMS was noting them as well saying "oh boy looks like we'll be getting some rain!" in a sarcastic tone. So I go back inside the base and just talk with some of the fresh EMT students about what they like so far about the course and what sections they are on.

Maybe 10 minutes later we get a wind storm and our back doors (which were barn style doors, maybe 10x12 each) start gusting around and we all rush to close them. We close the doors pleased with ourselves and then we all stopped and had an "oh :censored::censored::censored::censored:" moment. With our medical station we had two triage tent bases (atleast 50x15') and one of them blew over were about 6 of the students/volunteers were being used as sleeping quarters including me. So being pissed off about the tent being blow over I grab my sleeping bag and my two bags which I always kept packed with my gear so it wasn't such a mess. I get in the station and throw my stuff down and then tell the others that came in about the tent going over.

Two minutes pass and I grab my sweater when I hear one of my teachers Don come into the station and say "The main stage has collapsed! People are trapped! We need to go now!" to the handful of people in our station. So I volunteered quickly and run over to our extended golf cart in order to fit a spine board on and we floor it with another EMT Rocky. We speed out the gate and into the common area toward the stage. It was pouring rain and windy as hell and we were driving through hundreds of people. We here honking the horn, yelling and swearing to get people out of the way. (It was quite funny because when we were doing that people were telling us to :censored::censored::censored::censored: off... like seriously?! We also broke the horn because we were hitting it so hard). We get passed the gate and come down the right side of the concert bowl. People are running away and the chairs are all thrown up and then we saw the stage. It was so hard to explain.... I mean pictures couldn't really describe it. I mean it was just a stage collapsed with people but you had to experience it.

We stop maybe 10-15 feet from the right side of the stage and the three of us start some quick triage. I grab the jump kit and throw it on the stage. I stop and look around at all the people. All I saw was people screaming and a group of atleast 8-9 on the right side of the collapsed stage trying to get some people out. I started yelling at them to pretty much gtfo because the stage isn't stable and it was still windy and rainy like hell. The two I was with Don and Rocky disappear. I stumble across a lady in her 40s with a laceration on the back of her head bleeding decently. Three people are beside here probably RNs from the sounds. They said she fell atleast 10 feet from the stands and hit her head, applied C-spine but stopped (I dont remember why). So I quickly do a head to toe on her. Her motor responses weren't the strongest but were there. I was trying to get a radial pulse but I couldn't seem to acquire one either because she was so cold and my hands were freezing.

I stop quickly to look for the others to see were the Camrose ambulance service was or what their ETA was. I look to my left towards the middle of the stage and I see two big guys screaming. "She's dead! She's dead!! There's nothing we can do!" and the other one crying and screaming no. I look back at my pt and then back again and I see some security guards just throw him towards the ground and then they get up but not as aggressive. So after that I do another quick head to toe but more complete and get her SAMPLE and OPQRST. By this time camrose services came in. I felt like I been there for atleast 30 minutes but I had only been there for 5-6. So the camrose triage officer comes up to me and says "where is she hurt and can she walk?" I just respond that she has a posterior head laceration and lumbar back pain and good motor". "Ok shes coming with me" he responds. So I go out with two other people who have her on either shoulder. I follow her.

We drop her off in the school ambulance. On the way there I 1/2 to the ambulance I meet up with Don and hes like "What do you have?! Yellow? Green?! Do you have a green?!" I respond "green/yellow?!" in the confusion. "Ok she's coming with me!" so we load here in the ambulance in the airway seat and I say to her left side. I check her head again and I hold pressure and I get her to hold my hand for emotion support. 10 seconds later the doors open at the back and four people are dragging someone in the back. Its some guy in his 20s with dark brown hair. He had his left arm bandaged and I heard something about his leg. Turns out the people dragging the guy in are nurses contemplating on an IV and asking me to get one in the jump kit I previously had and brought in with me. Well... 6 people in the ambulance... the bag is over on the counter across the jump seat and the ambulance is moving... there is no way I can get a :censored::censored::censored::censored:in IV line started let alone get the parts in the bag. So we stop. We're at our station. We get them out and put them in a bed. (I don't remember getting out of the ambulance but by now I realized I have a 5 inch rip in my pants on my right leg going towards my crotch.) Don calls me to head back out and check out people at the little convention/shopping building. We pick up another EMT along the way and check this one teen with sternal pain and some lumbar back pain, good CMS, good everything and head out. We drop off a couple spine boards and continue through towards the stage to pick up more if there were any. We stop trying to get info from Camrose. No more people are here that need attention so we come back to the station.

So I'm at the station. People are going crazy. All the beds are filled and right now I'm just looking for something to do. Greg calls me and tells me to spine 3 and put raise her left lateral" So I go in to three with the board and meet up with one of the fresh EMT students Adam. So I put the board up and there is already an RN and a doctor from what I remember with her. We roll her over, get a pillow on her side and Adam gets the straps ready so we can send here out soon. So we're strapping and I go "Hey Adam. You know what sucks?". "what sucks?". "I ripped my pants right by my crotch. It sucks.". adam is just like "Ya... ya I guess that does suck!" in a sarcastic but easing tone.

So we strap her our and someone tells me and the others that shes going out. We wheel her out in our portable stretchers towards the ambulance. We put her on the bench because we hear that we are taking two people. The pregnant lady I just spined and the guy with the bad arm that joined me earlier. We didn't have a stretcher because that got stripped so we had to lay him on the floor. Me and another guy were in the back to hold the board down while two nurses were in the back and another EMT was in the back for the pregnant lady. We get set and speed off to the hospital. We check the pregnant ladies O2 tank only when we leave but I remember mentioning it to the three that put her in the back. So her 02 tank is is empty. turns out the extra tanks are under her. We get to the hospital were I hear our driver screaming and swearing at the other drivers in his way and how bad the situation is. We drop off the two. Both yellows. We stop and me and Don have a smoke. Mine are wet since I had them on at the stage in my pocket through the rain and limp but it was one of the best smoke I ever had let me tell ya.

We drive out back to the station. By now there are atleast 10 ambulances outside and tons of firetrucks and rescue for the stage. The station is clear amazingly. I switch my pants and my shirt because they are all wet and I don't want to freeze. After that the local Tim Hortons brought in fresh coffee and fresh out of the oven donuts it was sooooo goood. After a quick coffee Don and Evan and I do a quick tour of the campsites there. We just get comments of "Ya man have you seen my tent? its big red and I used to sleep in it!?". People were rolling into the mud like fools and that nothing happened. All of them were completely hammered and asking if the show is going to go on tomorrow. (Really funny, later that a crew picks someone up from the camp site and says "Oh ya I can't wait for (main event tomorrow) to play! They got cranes and everything settin da stage up!")

After that we only got minors from the camp. I was exhausted and I had no smokes. We had to sleep in the station up top aswell which was ok I guess.
 
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ironcoffin

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Here are some pictures of the stage:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2009/08/01/10337591.html

I was actually attending the woman in the first picture, the 2nd picture is the guy with the arm injury that I "transfered" twice, and the 3rd picture is Don that called the lady that died (black).

Here are the tents out back: http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto..._126006937000_699452000_2811668_4824249_s.jpg

Our treatment area during clean up: http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto..._126006892000_699452000_2811660_3898422_n.jpg

Some fire crew and cleanup:
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...6_126007032000_699452000_2811686_136348_n.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto..._126006992000_699452000_2811678_7600815_n.jpg
 
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