Every year, Jasper National Park (JNP) receives anywhere from 200-300 visitor safety calls. About 10 per cent of these calls involve injuries and medical issues that benefit from the help of the Canadian Mountain Park Backcountry Medical Council (CMPBMC).
If you鈥檝e never heard of the group鈥攄on鈥檛 fret, it鈥檚 still relatively new, and considering the vast amount of terrain it covers, quite small, but in just a few years the group has changed the way Parks Canada safety specialists operate in the Canadian Rockies.
It was roughly four years ago when Parks Canada safety specialist, Lisa Paulson and her Kananaskis Country counterpart, Mike Koppang, started switching things up.
鈥淚 was in the position where I was able to change some protocols within our local group because we had the opportunity to work with a local physician,鈥� said Paulson, who works in the Banff area and serves as the council鈥檚 co-chair. 鈥淪ome of the protocols I wanted to adopt was being able to bring pain relievers on calls and to be able to give them to patients.鈥�
While Parks safety specialists are entrusted to provide first class 24/7-backcountry emergency help, Paulson said without a doctor鈥檚 consent or supervision, they are unable to carry and administer practical medical tools like painkillers or epipens.
鈥淪o I started saying let鈥檚 adopt Aspirin and let鈥檚 adopt basic pain relievers,鈥� said Paulson, adding other safety specialists agreed with her. 鈥淪ome of us have been taking first aid (training) for 20 years. There was this desire to have some higher-level training.
鈥淥ur team wants to excel at what we do and provide the best possible care.鈥�
Paulson soon found that she and her colleagues weren鈥檛 the only ones who felt this way. Several doctors throughout Canada鈥檚 Rocky Mountains also agreed.
鈥淎 few physicians started advocating for different levels of care in the backcountry and I thought our council would be a lot stronger if we had a group of physicians that could help with training and with some of the techniques we should consider and adopt for Parks safety,鈥� Paulson said.
After a few phone calls, Paulson found five doctors within Canada鈥檚 mountain parks who were willing to volunteer their time to improve backcountry medical safety.
鈥淭he physicians are really the unsung heroes of this team. They鈥檝e done so much to help,鈥� Paulson said.
With that, the organization was born.
The council has been operating for the past four years in Jasper, Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Glaciers, and Waterton Lakes national parks, as well as Kananaskis Country, matching each area with a Parks safety specialist and one medical director. 聽
For JNP, safety specialist Max Darrah sits on the council while Dr. Declan Unsworth volunteers as the local medical director.
For Unsworth, joining the board was a no-brainer.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good for patients. I鈥檝e seen people come into the ER after they鈥檝e been laying out in the snow for six hours with a broken femur and no anesthesia on board and I just couldn鈥檛 imagine if that was me in that situation,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or lack of a better way to put it, I just think it鈥檚 the right thing to do. It鈥檚 better for patient outcome if we can start treating them sooner.鈥�
Along with supplying support and knowledge about evolving medical practices, the team of doctors also delivers up to 10 training sessions a year which include helping enhance avalanche training and summer rescues.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e taught us how to realign crooked limbs and things like that. In most cases we鈥檝e seen that by having the physicians on our council it has benefited our patients,鈥� Paulson said. 鈥淭heir advice and training has made such a difference and has even helped shorten patient recovery time.鈥�
In addition to more training seminars, safety specialists on the council can now carry and administer basic painkillers and epipens.
鈥淚t鈥檚 stuff that seems so simple, but these tools are potentially life-saving,鈥� Unsworth said.
The council met in October for a two-day seminar to discuss improvements and the future of backcountry medical protocols.
鈥淩ight now we鈥檝e hit this really nice zen where we鈥檙e actually calling on our physicians a little less because we鈥檝e reached this point where we are working really well together,鈥� Paulson said.
Despite improving visitor safety and often acting as first responders in the backcountry, Paulson stressed that the council is not there to replace duties carried out by paramedics.
鈥淚t would be very difficult for our team to maintain that standard and maintain all the mountain skills to actually access patients in the backcountry,鈥� Paulson said. 鈥淲hen it鈥檚 appropriate and safe we bring in those professional paramedics to do their job, but that can鈥檛 always happen when you鈥檙e dealing with someone on the peak of a mountain or out on an icefield.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going down the road to being paramedics, but now there are a few lifesaving tools that we can have in our toolkit that will be better for our patients that can鈥檛 immediately get to a paramedic or physician,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only because these physicians are so willing to work with us that we鈥檙e able to make this happen and we can鈥檛 thank them enough for the benefits that they give to our visitors.鈥�
Paulson said the onus is still on park visitors to be prepared when heading into the backcountry and to be ready for a self-rescue if necessary.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e going in the backcountry then be equipped and have a way of communication or leave really detailed info of your trip with a friend or a spouse.鈥�
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
