Dear all, acknowledgement is the engine that fuels the efforts. So I thank You all for your response to this sad accident that worries me much. Bear with me for my poor proofreading. I'm not that good and eloquent in English. The accident has now left the front pages and actual information is becoming sparse. Next to nothing is being told about the victims now and it seems obvious that all involved, victims as well as their families need peace and quiet. 6 pupils are now back on the school. One of these victim - the unconscious girl on the ice-slab - is getting penicillin treatment for damages and has apparently had a severe psychological breakdown, which emphasises the victims need to get out of public focus. Another victim was Friday - one week after the accident - brought back into respirator because of a similar problem. None of the teenagers that were in coma are back to school and there is no information about them. It's expected some of them - maybe all - will need a long-term recovery treatment because of possible brain damages. The most responsible person, a 44-year old teacher, who was married and had 2 sons, is the only one disappeared and dead until now. Some rumours tell that he had no pfd. Other rumours tell that he was last seen giving his pfd to a girl that (confirmed!) was not an able swimmer. That girl became one of the 2 girls and 5 boys in coma. No other persons were lost at sea. No information has been given about the surviving other adult, a 33-year old female teacher. The head master has only stated that she had felt completely comfortable with the situation before sailing out. "Soefartsstyrelsen" (the "Danish Maritime Authority" ( http://www.dma.dk/Sider/Home.aspx )) has an investigative unit ("opklaringsenhed") and they have now together with the police told the public to be patient. It will take several months before the investigations are finished and a conclusion made public. "We do not deal in rumours or guesswork. The investigation will be based on facts". They obviously intent is to be very thorough about the seaworthiness of the canoe. A reconstruction may be made. Based on previous experience I fear that seamanship and understanding in the context of our way of kayaking and canoeing may be dealt with without real insight. I fully share Tony's worries. There has already been remarks from the opposition in the Danish Parliament about specifications for PFDs and the government is of course also concerned. I'm a board member of a nation-wide kayaking club and I have put the question on the agenda for the next meeting by the end of this month. That will hardly change anything. I have looked into the question about the size of the dragon boat. Another source reports the length to be eight meters which is more realistic. Here is another picture of the boat: http://www.bt.dk/krimi/dragebaads-formand-det-er-dybt-uansvarligt According to present information the canoe is designed for 14 persons. Danish regulations is quoted to have a security limit at 12 persons when sailing with passengers. But what then? Anyway 14 is less than the 15 aboard. It's a question about regulations for passengers versus education versus ... and I have no knowledge about those aspects. A series of pictures that illustrates the environment can be seen at http://www.sn.dk/Se-billeder-fra-redningsaktion/Vordingborg/artikel/112394?im age=1#image (used the numbers under the top image to see all pictures.) About the resources used for the rescue operation: The boat capsizes at about 11:30 Emergency call is registered 12:43 SAR units are alerted 12:47 - 12:50 Initially the alarm reported a drowning accident and some information indicated an accident with a bus in a lake. A medical helicopter (the red and yellow helicopter on the pictures) were sent from Copenhagen with a senior doctor with high expertise. As he arrived he learned that 2 were under treatment and more might be in the sea. He then alerted the Danish Operation Center, SOK, and "sat down" to coordinate the efforts in the area. Two of the air force's large SAR helicopters staffed with doctors and with FLIR - heat detection - were summoned immediately and 3 emergency cars staffed with doctors were called. 12 ambulances were directed to the scene and small rescue vessels (zodiacs and small boats) were brought in by road. The boats arrived within half an hour. One rescue vessel was already stationed in the area. 6 vessels and - very soon - 4 SAR helicopters were searching the area. The helicopters and the emergency cars were equipped with altogether 5 CPR-machines which were used from the moment the unconscious victims came on land and until they were delivered by helicopter to intensive care units in hospitals. This made it possible to intubate the unconscious victims as soon as they were found. Ambulances brought the others to local hospitals Five hospitals were alerted and supplemental medical specialist staff (a 57 years old senior specialist) from the air force medical corps was within 15 minutes from the alert brought by ambulance and the SAR helicopter across the country heading for the accident. As backup - he tells - was a hospital in L|beck, Germany, that could send further 2 helicopters with heart-lung machines. Two more university hospitals in Denmark could assist if more than 12 victims showed up but that would need more helicopters. He was himself bringing a mobile lung-heart machine with him and used it at a local hospital before he followed the victim to another university hospital in Jutland. One more specialist hypothermia team was all the time on standby but would for transport have needed one of the helicopters that was used for searching No doubt that the very qualified performance of the arriving senior doctor and the resolute and comprehensive decisions made by the organisation (Air force and Marine JRCC, Joint Rescue Coordination Center) are the only reasons a completely disastrous outcome was avoided in spite of complete confusion in the initial phase. The operation already counts as the most successful and professional ever in Denmark which says a lot. It's also told that the needed knowledge and expertise did not exist just ten years ago. The fantastic background is research where the researcher, a doctor Benedict Kjaergaard from Aalborg Hospital in Northern Jutland, have had pigs kept at low temperatures while they flew around with them in the SAR helicopters and held them attached to mobile heart-lung machines to simulate situations like the one that now has taken place. This has been the foundation for the hypothermia specialist team. regards from Jens Viggo *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Feb 21 2011 - 09:21:37 PST
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