Ambulance stuck on TCH in storm has owner asking for better snow clearing

The owner-operator of a Whitbourneambulance service is fuming after one of his ambulanceswas stuck in the snowfor a few hours Wednesday morning on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Wade Smith, the owner of Smith's Ambulance Services said he dispatched a crew to take an emergency transfer from the W.H. Newhook Community Health Centre in Whitbourne to St. John's,about 90 kilometres away, around 11 p.m. It was after the patient was dropped off and the crew hit the highway back to Whitbourne when they ran into trouble.

"It didn't seem to be so bad leaving St. John's, with the lights and everything, but once they got out so far, they come across another ambulance that was stuck on the way," he said.

The crew tried to help the other ambulance and then kept going, but the snow was too deep on the highway around Thomas Pond, about 25 kilometres west of St. John's, and Smith's ambulance got stuck around 2 a.m.

A tow truck driver was able to give the ambulance crew a lift to the nearby weigh scales around 3:30 a.m., and it wasn't until 4:30 a.m. that provincial plows cleared the highway enough for the ambulance to get back on the road to Whitbourne.

They had no contingency plans if anybody got stuck.- Wade Smith

According to Smith, three ambulancesgot stuck overnight on the TCH, including his own and the one his crew tried to help. He said provincial snow-clearing efforts just aren't good enough.

"They had no contingency plans if anyone got stuck. I mean, here we are out there, emergency workers trying to get very sick people into St. John's into tertiary care centres, and there's nobody there to help us when we're in trouble, and that's just ridiculous."

Transportation Minister Steve Crocker told CBC News he was aware of only one ambulance stuck overnight, and was still getting information on what happened. He said the province tries to provide snowplows for emergency escorts, butroadconditions during the nightmeant the plows were too tied up.

Crew kept safe

"We provide whatever services we can for our ambulance services," he said. "It's important for us to make sure that if there is an emergency call that we're there to provide the service."

Smith said his crew were able to keep safe while they waited for help.

"They kept the lights and everything on. The rig was still running so at least they had heat and everything, but there's not much they could do, like respite. They were trying to get the ambulance out, but it was just futile effort. They couldn't do nothing with it."

If we get the same situation again, we probably won't be sending an ambulance in over the road.- Wade Smith

Smith saidthe province should have plows on the road around the clock during major storms so the highway is cleared for emergency providers like medical, fire and police services, and it's frustrating to not get more support from the province.

"It's just unbelievable. I think people don't realize that these are trained individuals. They don't need to be out on the highway risking their lives any more than they need to be, and they need to have every assistance that's available to them."

'Challenging' to keep main arteries open: minister

Crocker said the province tries to keep the main arteries open.

"It's challenging in these situations," he said. "Our 24-hour dispatch is there if Mr. Smith or anybody providing a service or anybody going on the highway overnight in these conditions reach out and see what the most recent conditions are."

When roads are in the condition they were in Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Smithsaid there'salways a concern about sending ambulances on to the highway.

"When someone's out on the road like that, you're always worried what's going to happen. I mean, are they going to go off the road? Is someone gonna get injured? Is someone gonna get killed? You just can't see nothing, right?"

It's enough to make him think twice about dispatching a crew in a storm, he said.

"If we get the same situation again, we probably won't be sending the ambulance in over the road. I'm not taking that risk of someone getting injured or hurt. It's just not worth it."

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