By Sam Morcos, Board of Directors Chair (sam.morcos@skipatrol.ca)
I had the pleasure to patrol a few days at the Ottawa Bluesfest again this year. The experience was better than ever. From the pre-event briefing to the organization, administration, operation, liaison and relationships with the festival organizers, multiple security levels (including police), paramedics, volunteers, there was simply amazing respect and professionalism.
The green, yellow, and red areas in the main tent (for triaging), leading directly to EMS behind us provided excellent patient flow and management. In total, 457 patients were treated and five to 10 per cent of these patients were passed on to EMS, depending on the evening. Clearly the triage was very effective, and I could see why EMS appreciates the patrollers so much.
There were too many involved to name them all, and the amount of work and hours required is staggering, but I do want to highlight Nick Cartwright. He is the overall lead on special events, and has turned it into a well-oiled machine, and a lucrative one. Yet he still found time to engage in applying cardboard splints.
To quote Nick’s wrap up message:
“Great comments for all of the folks we deal with – from patients who commented on the great level of treatment they received, parents who reported that their offspring were amazed at the caring nature of patrollers, the security companies which really appreciated the support we provide, the Bluesfest organizers who recognize the effort and level of service they get from us, the Ottawa Police who really appreciate our responsiveness to their needs, and finally from our paramedic colleagues who were not reticent to voice their praise of what we do and how we do it.”
Thank you, Nick, for your leadership and service.
This post is also available in: French