Urgences-Santé offers safety advice during Montreal’s winter storm

Montreal and surrounding areas were hit with a major winter storm.

Urgences-santé received around 400 calls by Thursday afternoon, which is said to be quieter compared to past storms.

“Today we’re actually seeing a normal call volume, actually even a little lower than usual,” said Vanessa Grillo, the supervisor of the Emergency Management and Preparedness Team at Urgences-santé. “So this really makes us believe that all the communications we’ve done and the messages we’ve sent on social media and in the news have reached Montrealers and Laval citizens as well.

“And they’re listening to us and putting into practice the recommendations we’ve made because, as it stands now, our operations are quite normal.”

As Montrealers prepare to dig out, Urgences-santé is offering tips to keep safe.

“Some of the recommendations were to limit non-essential travel. So, if you can work from home, definitely try and do that just to have fewer people on the roads. One, fewer car accidents; two, it’s easier for snowplows to come through and clean. And three, the second you leave the house, you’re exposing yourself to the possibility of falling or injuries, which increases our call volume and could make our operations quite busy,” said Grillo.

With large snowfalls and many Montrealers shovelling, Grillo says it’s important to be mindful.

“Something that’s really important is, if you have any health issues that affect your breathing or any heart issues, really respect your body and don’t overdo it. If you’re going to go outside and you feel like you can shovel, be careful — do it in small timeframes. Take frequent breaks. If you don’t feel well, stop and evaluate. If you feel like you need help, obviously there’s 811, there’s 911, but if you can get somebody to come and give you a hand to shovel, that would be ideal.

“With shovelling, a lot of times, I mean, slips and falls can happen, but it’s just over-exerting yourself—especially for people who are known to have heart or lung conditions. It puts a lot of stress on the heart and lungs. People can have anything from an asthma attack to a more severe respiratory issue, or sometimes it can trigger heart issues if they have things like angina, which are regulated by medication, or chest pains due to a blockage in the heart. You know, it does happen from time to time where some people do fall into cardiac arrest because they’re just over-exerting themselves, and they shouldn’t be doing that level of physical activity.

“Shovelling snow is actually quite demanding on the body, especially heavy snow when you’re out there for a while. It’s tougher than one would think, so it’s really just about respecting your body and going nice and easy the best you can.”

“I always try to be careful, but, you know, we cannot say much about that. We’ll be careful, but if something happens, it happens,” one Montrealer told CityNews.

In case an accident were to arise, it’s important to keep your walkway clear and ensure that addresses are clearly visible.

Grillo talks about how Montrealers should know when to call 811 versus 911.

“811 is really for any type of medical recommendations. If you’re looking for advice, answers to certain questions, or resources available to you, 811 is great. 811 can also help with more minor medical issues. The second there’s a life threat or a threat to a limb—let’s say a major trauma to a limb or a life-threatening medical issue that you feel you’re not able to take care of yourself — 911 is definitely the way to go.”

We asked Montrealers what their feelings toward the storm were.

“Usually, I’m in Florida this time of the year, but I cannot go, and now I’m here to take out the snow,” said one man.

Another man who said he had been shovelling for less than an hour with his wife and three children said it is a good workout for him.

“I like snow. Yeah, we used to have much more snow 40 years ago. So that’s—yeah, this used to be like twice a week, a long time ago,” he said.

“You do a little bit, you take a break, you do a little bit, you take a break, you know, after an hour it’s done.”

“It’s Canada, there’s nothing else to say, it’s fun. And we’re home with our family, and yeah, hopefully tomorrow too, there’s no school,” said one of his children.

“We like winter. I like shovelling. But we love summer more,” she added.

“It’s cold. And there’s a lot of fun. It’s fun. Because you would get to slide in the snow,” said another.

Another Montrealer said he had been out for an hour an half and already removed a lot of snow.

“Personally, I like snow, but when it gets to this extent, it’s a bit much. But yeah, it’s fun at times,” he said.

“I take it at ease and try not to hurt myself fully as I’m doing this,” he added.

“I just hope the winter ends soon. But yeah, it’s a nice season, but with the snow and everything, I hope it ends soon.”

By 5:30 p.m., 33 cm of snow had fallen on the city – with more to come on the weekend.

Said Grillo: “I’d just like to take a few seconds to thank all the paramedics that are out there, all the dispatchers that are taking calls, as well as everybody else involved: the city clearing the streets, all the EMS personnel, and all the citizens who have been listening and doing their part to minimize the intensity of today on our services. It’s a collective effort, so thank you.”