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 The Canadian Forces search and rescue crew that offered assistance to an injured American and a group of canoeists Tuesday are, from left, Lt. Greg Zweng, Cpl. Doug McCallum, Pt. Richard Brown, Cpl. Frank D'avignon and Cpt. Dave Bowes. Missing from photo is Sgt. Jim Bonner. - Tara Kearsey/NNSL photo |
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
The Canadian Forces search and rescue satellite system picked up an Emergency Locator Transmitter signal from the area at about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday.
The Canadian Forces 440 Squadron promptly launched a twin otter to respond to the emergency signal. The crew was on its way within an hour of the emergency call, which originated from about 100 kilometres west of Lupin Mine.
Cpt. Dave Bowes arrived at the location by 7 p.m. that night and began to pick up an ELT signal on their radios.
"There were six canoeists and one of the six had been badly injured and they suspected a neck or spinal injury," said Bowes.
The injury came as a result of a fall.
The group of American canoeists from Minnesota were on a 40-day canoeing excursion in the Canadian North.
The day of the accident was day five of the trip.
But the location of the canoeists was not suitable for landing by a fixed-wing twin otter.
"We circled over and it was completely unsuitable for a fixed-wing aircraft to land on," said Bowes.
Fortunately the Canadian Forces crew picked up a transmission from a Great Slave Helicopter crew in the area.
"They started proceeding immediately to the location of the canoeists," said Bowes.
The helicopter was able to land near the group of canoeists. Both rescue crews then agreed to meet at Lupin Mine where the Canadian Forces crew transported the patient to Stanton hospital. They landed safely in Yellowknife at 10:30 p.m.
John Buckland, operations manager for Great Slave Helicopters, said the company has helicopter crews working in various camp locations in the NWT. As luck would have it, one of those crews was in the Lupin Mine area.
"He (helicopter pilot Daniel Nanninga) was happy to help with the extraction of the patient," said Buckland.
Bowes said once the twin otter arrived in Yellowknife the injured canoeist "was in stable condition."
"He had, at that point, feeling in all his limbs so the best information that we have is that he is stable and is going to make a full recovery."
