(KILLARNEY, ON) – On July 1, 2021 at 5:21 p.m., a member from the Nipissing West (Noëlville) Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Emergency Response Team (ERT) responded to an injured person in Killarney Provincial Park.
The injured person activated a Spot Locator Beacon, which provided the Global Positioning System (GPS) co-ordinates to both police and Park Wardens.
The individual was located and was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion and unable to walk. The ERT member, along with two Park Wardens and nine backcountry hikers used a stretcher to carry the injured person to safety. They had to endure a 1.5 kilometres trek through rugged terrain, which included steep inclines and declines, large boulders and swamps.
The OPP would like to thank the hikers involved. With their assistance, the transportation of the injured person was expedited to the awaiting Ornge air ambulance.
The individual was flown to the local hospital and treated for dehydration and heat exhaustion, then later discharged.
The OPP would like to remind the public of the “what3words” App that is offered for free download for both android and apple devices. The app labels every three squared metres with a unique three-word location string which can be converted into latitude and longitude coordinates for entry into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system in use at the OPP Provincial Communication Centre (PCC).
If the caller does not have the app previously downloaded onto their mobile device, the PCC communicator can send a link to the caller’s cell phone which will enable the caller (with data access and connectivity), to find their what3words location. The app is available in 43 languages but shares the location in English.
