Fort McMurray hospital evacuation was 'calm' while flames raged close
As wildfires descended upon the city of Fort McMurray, hospital patients had to be safely evacuated.
David Matear was the last to leave the facility. As the senior operating director of the downtown Fort McMurray hospital, Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, he helped lead the evacuation.
Matear oversaw the medevac of Fort McMurray's hospital — from newborns, to critical care, to long-term care patients - in one-and-a-half-hours. "It took about 18 hours from the start of the evacuation until the last patient was airlifted from the airport."
In the end, hospital staff managed to evacuate more than 100 patients to safety — all while the raging fire was in full view outside the emergency room doors.
A critical evacuation such as this might have seemed chaotic but Matear says there was a sense of calmness. He adds, "I think that's a testament to our staff and how the staff managed the situation."
This segment was produced by The Current's Marc Apollonio.