By A.P. Crawford (ap.crawford@skipatrol.ca)
Don Grant, Devon Murphy, Jeremy Thibault: Gatineau Zone, Quebec Division
Gatineau Zone has, for many years, provided medical services for major events in Ottawa, working hand-in-hand with the Ottawa Paramedic Service. Escapade is a weekend-long electronic music festival held each summer at TD Place. The presence of CSP Gatineau Zone patrollers allows the event to run with a reduced Ottawa Paramedic Service crew who typically only take over critical patients. The festival has been described as chaotic, overwhelming, and catastrophically drug-fuelled.
In 2022, over the three days, the team treated 261 patients, had 16 transports to the emergency room, two patients were admitted to the ICU, and there were two fatalities, based on the records kept. At times the team was overwhelmed, so the numbers are actually higher. On any given day, a team of approximately a dozen patrollers is fielded with experience ranging from first-year to more than 40 years of service, and many hold additional medical qualifications.
At one point on the Saturday evening, medical services were called by security to attend to an unresponsive male in his mid-20s, located on the berm facing the concert area. Security staff had already administered a dose of naloxone.
Jeremy Thibault, Don Grant and Devon Murphy responded to find the patient with shallow breathing going into respiratory distress, and a weak pulse detectable only at the femur. Devon administered a dose of naloxone immediately.
Because the patient could not breathe on his own, a BVM was applied and some improvement was shown. The patient continued to be ventilated with supplemental oxygen throughout the gurney transport to Ottawa Paramedic Services personnel approximately 400 metres away. The patient remained at less than six on the Glasgow Coma Scale at all times; during transport he was assessed as being at level 3.
Paramedics took over the treatment of the patient in their treatment and rehabilitation unit and the patient left after approximately 15 minutes of treatment. According to information obtained following the incident, the patient may have gone into cardiogenic shock a few days prior to the event.
For their work as a team that save the life of their patient, Jeremy Thibault, Don Grant and Devon Murphy were recognized with the John D. Harper Lifesaving Award in September 2025.
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