Medics on standby: inside the makeshift Grand Prix hospital
The Canadian Grand Prix is an exciting and glamorous affair -- but it can also be a dangerous one.
With F1 drivers racing at speeds of up to 300 km/h, things can quickly go south in the event of a crash.
That's where a team of healthcare worker from the Sacre-Coeur hospital comes in.
"The whole team is about 130 people," explained Dr. Pierre Fiset.
"I've been on that since the month of January, calling people and putting the team together and all that."
It's the 37th time Sacre-Coeur has worked the Grand Prix, providing medical assistance to drivers, workers and even fans should they need it.
If there's an emergency, the patient is first brought to a makeshift hospital near the track.
"It's a resuscitation room, exactly a replication of what we have in Sacre-Coeur," said Dr. Francois Scarborough. "We can do X-rays, put [in an] IV, open a chest."
Within a few minutes of the patient arriving, doctors will determine the next steps.
Ambulances are standing by. If necessary, a patient can be airlifted to the emergency room via Airmedic helicopter.
"Flying-wise, it takes about five minutes from here once the helicopter lifts off," said Airmedic communication director Jean-Patrick Laflamme.
While these measures are key to keeping the Grand Prix as safe as possible, it's still an environment that comes with many risks: in 2013, race-track worker Mark Robinson died when he slipped underneath the wheel of a crane escorting a car from the track.
But without immediate access to emergency services, these tragedies would be all the more common.
Dr. Scarborough recalls the Robert Kubica Crash from 2007.
"We were sure he was [going] to die," he said.
After transporting the driver to hospital, it was discovered he had a cerebral concussion and sprained ankle, and he was treated accordingly.
"He was back on track a couple of weeks after."
All of the healthcare workers involved with the Grand Prix medic team work on a voluntary basis.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.