Helping Emergency Crews Help You

New safety sheet helps cottagers keep crucial information at their fingertips

MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 30 /CNW/ - Ornge, the provider of aero-medical transport for Ontario, encourages those heading out of town this long weekend to take advantage of a new safety tool designed specifically for cottagers and campers.

In the event of a medical emergency at the cottage or campsite, would you be able to describe accurately your precise location? It's not always as easy as it sounds.

"Ornge helicopter crews and flight paramedics are often faced with the challenge of locating a patient in a vast territory covered by nondescript lakes and trees," said Steve Farquhar, V.P. of Operations for Ornge. "Providing concise, specific information to dispatchers can save crucial minutes."

Ornge encourages cottagers and campers to fill out and post our new Emergency Services Information Sheet. Developed in conjunction with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Georgian Bay Association, the sheet allows you to develop a quick reference list of all relevant information 9-1-1 dispatchers will need to ensure crews find you, including GPS coordinates and geographical landmarks.

The Emergency Services Information Sheet can be downloaded in .PDF and .DOC format at www.traumaseason.ca.

Heading into the long weekend, the Ornge team, including flight paramedics, pilots, physicians and communications officers, stands ready to respond to medical emergencies. However, everyone is encouraged to keep safety top of mind to help reduce the number of calls for traumatic injuries.

ABOUT ORNGE

Ornge is Canada's leading innovator in the emerging field of transport medicine, and operates from a number of bases across the province of Ontario and performs approximately 20,000 admissions annually. It coordinates all aspects of Ontario's aero medical transport system, the new critical care land transport program, and the authorization of air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals. Ornge is dedicated to the provision of high quality patient care through innovative transport medicine.

For further information: James MacDonald, Media Relations Officer, Ornge, [phone]