One of the victims of a fishing boat that went down received CPR. Two people were declared dead and three others were under treatment and released from a healthcare facility after a fishing boat went down off the west coast of Vancouver Island near the remote tourist community of Tofino.
Fishing boat went down
Coast Guard spokesman Dan Bate stated that all five people on board the vessel were taken to shore but health officials confirmed the death of two. The 8.5 meter long catamaran was fishing for halibut near Bartlett Island, north of Tofino.
Someone on the boat made a distress call according to Sub-Lt. Melissa Kia with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria. They were able to talk with the vessel to confirm that the five passengers were abandoning into the water. While the boat was attempting to get in a better position to speak via cellphone, it lost communications with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
Coast guard rescue boats, a plane from CFB Comox and a Royal Canadian Air Forces helicopter were all dispatched to search for the passengers. A broadcast was put out asking marine vessels in the area to join the search. There were two commercial float planes who responded to the call for help. One of them spotted the people in the water and directed rescuers to the location.
Upon finding the people, an off-duty paramedic provided CPR to one passenger while a Coast Guard Rescue Specialist attempted to resuscitate another. All five people were taken to the emergency health services in Tofino.
Timely intervention
Being prepared during emergencies is important. It is recommended to enroll in a first aid course to learn vital life-saving skills such as CPR.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid and CPR course and for more information, check out these sources:
Wikipedia – First Aid: Essential Techniques for Emergencies
WebMD – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Treatment: Lifesaving Measures