Keeping Skiers Safe in the Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are home to some of the world’s best and busiest ski resorts, which are nestled inside national nature parks managed by Parks Canada (a department of Canada’s federal government). Because these ski resorts are in rugged mountain country, accidents are a regular and inevitable occurrence.

This is why the Parks Canada’s Visitor Safety team—based in Banff, Alberta—provides round-the-clock professional search and rescue response capability in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks.

Parks Canada doesn’t do this good work alone. “Alpine Helicopters provides the rescue helicopters and pilots, while the Lake Louise and Banff Fire Departments assist with assessing patients near trailheads or managing helicopter staging areas,” said James Eastham, a Parks Canada public relations and communications officer based in Lake Louise, Alberta.

Parks Canada is particularly proud of its relationship with Banff EMS, which is based out of Banff Mineral Springs Hospital. “We are fortunate to have ALS medics and a small consistent group to draw from,” Eastham said. “Unique to our region, when the need for ALS care arises and the mountain risks are known and can be managed, the Visitor Safety team can take an ALS medic directly to the patient to provide optimal care as soon as possible.” On average, the Parks Canada Visitor Safety team takes an ALS medic to about 16 incidents per year for pain management or complex medical calls.

A Close Relationship

Parks Canada and Banff EMS have worked closely together for decades. This relationship intensified in 2008 as Parks Canada moved to improve advanced care treatment for its patients: The Visitor Safety team, under volunteer medical director and backwoods medical expert Dr. Kyle McLaughlin, asked Banff EMS to resume a previous practice of bringing ALS paramedics along as co-responders to complex medical calls, which they did.

To make the team work smoothly, Banff EMS trained its staff to work with helicopters and the Visitor Safety team. Meanwhile, many Banff EMS staff members furthered their mountain skills training on their own accord. For some, this included obtaining Avalanche Skills Training 2 certification, a diploma in mountain medicine (DIMM), and even getting involved in mountain sports such as scrambling, ice and rock climbing, ski touring, and high-altitude climbing to further their familiarity with the outdoors.

“What’s really made the partnership work between the Visitor Safety and EMS teams is the time and effort they have spent training together,” said Eastham. “As a result, they can now regularly and seamlessly respond to calls alongside one another. This partnership is unique to the Banff region and is facilitated both by the presence of stable, full time ALS paramedics and search and rescue teams, and the dedication of both teams to the partnership.”

Cutting-Edge Rescue Services for Free

Working closely with EMS and other providers is just one of the ways Parks Canada’s Visitor Safety team has earned a reputation for offering cutting-edge rescue services.

“In addition to our partnership with Banff EMS, Visitor Safety team members have developed the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES), which is now used across North America to communicate about avalanche risk,” Eastham said. This easy-to-understand system rates ski runs, trails, and areas according to their severity of exposure to avalanche hazards. “The team was also among the first in the world to develop helicopter sling rescue techniques,” he said.

Yet despite the sophistication of these multi-agency rescue services, the people they save don’t pay a dime for them. “There is no fee for wilderness rescue in Banff, Kootenay, and Yoho National Parks,” said Eastham. “Revenue from park passes helps pay for the many park services, including search and rescue, if required.”

Well, almost. “Visitors may be required to cover some costs if ambulance or air ambulance transportation is required from the rescue staging area to a hospital,” he noted. “These fees are charged by provincial health authorities in Alberta and British Columbia.”

On Duty Right Now

As you read this, the Parks Canada Visitor Safety team is on duty protecting skiers, snowboarders, and hikers from the dangers of playing in the Canadian Rockies’ winter wonderland.

“Our team of mountain safety professionals are out in the field every day collecting information to update the avalanche rating and forecast,” Eastham told EMS World. “The team trains regularly and is available for rapid response to backcountry incidents.” Mindful that some of our readers may travel here in the near future—not just for winter sports, but summer activities as well—he added that the Visitor Safety team can be reached by calling 9-1-1 or the Banff National Park Dispatch emergency line at 403-762-4506.

“Remember that cellular coverage does not extend very far into the backcountry so your mobile phone may not work,” Eastham concluded. “People on multi-day excursions or doing day trips in more remote locations should strongly consider carrying a satellite communication device.”

James Careless is a frequent contributor to EMS World.