A field hospital made up of a series of tents will serve as Fort McMurray’s main emergency room until at least mid-June, officials say.
The 4,750-square-foot facility, which resembles a military field hospital from the outside, was assembled two weeks ago, after Fort McMurray’s only major hospital suffered significant smoke damage from a huge wildfire that swept through the area in early May.
But the temporary ER is no sub-standard replacement for the real thing.
“We’re able to treat any condition that you would normally attend an emergency room for,” said Robert Kielly, who oversees a team of 350 nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals working around the clock to provide care for those in need.
“We’ve got a seamless ER set up and it’s going really well.”
So far, more than 250 crew members working to restore the facility have checked into the field hospital, which is located in the parking lot of the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.
But hospital staff are expecting many more to come rushing in as the first of the 90,000 evacuees return to the fire-damaged city next week.
Most injuries reported were connected to poor air quality.
The Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, Fort McMurray’s main hospital, was evacuated on May 3 as the devastating wildfire approached the city.
“I was working in my office and a secretary shouted at me and said look outside,” said Dr. Surinder Khinda, a physician at the facility. “I went outside and it was all fumes.”
Khinda left his family in Edmonton and now works 20-hour days at the temporary hospital.
“I have worked (at the Fort McMurray hospital) for 16 years and I feel this is my moral responsibility to get this facility up and running and help the people out of my own town,” he said.
Hundreds of crew members are working to restore the Northern Lights centre to working order--replacing air filters and making sure all the equipment still works.
It’s expected to take least until mid-June for the Fort McMurray hospital to be fully running again.
But Khinda said what the city will need most of is mental health support for those returning to devastation left by the fire.
“It brings you to tears,” he said. “(In) communities which were hustling and bustling, there is ash and broken houses. It’s very heartbreaking.”
The Fort McMurray wildfire has grown to cover more than 5,000 square kilometres in northern Alberta. The fire, which is now making its way into Saskatchewan, is no longer an immediate threat to any inhabited communities, but remains out of control.
With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Breanna Karstens-Smith
