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
B.C. woman facing steep medical bills, uncertain future after Thailand crash
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
Freeland to present 2024 federal budget, promising billions in new spending
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
Annual inflation rate increased to 2.9% in March
The annual inflation rate ticked higher in March compared with February, boosted by higher prices for gasoline, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
Inmate who escaped from N.B. prison has long history of violent crimes
An inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday evening has a long history of violent crimes and a history of escaping custody.
Tim Hortons launches pizza nationally to 'stretch the brand' to afternoon, night
Tim Hortons is launching flatbread pizzas nationally in a bid to pick up more afternoon and evening customers.
Thousands of dollars worth of tropical fish stolen from Ottawa Valley restaurant
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the theft of "several thousand" dollars worth of tropical fish stolen from an Upper Ottawa Valley restaurant last week.
Ontario woman charged almost $7,000 for 20-minute taxi ride abroad
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.
NASA confirms mystery object that crashed through roof of Florida home came from space station
NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
Budget 2024 'likely to be the worst' in decades, former BoC governor says
Without having seen it, former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge believes that Tuesday's 2024 federal budget from Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is 'likely to be the worst budget' in decades.