Paramedic resources tapped by icy road accidents

Icy roads led to multiple traffic accidents in Thunder Bay Thursday morning, pushing local ambulance resources to the limit.

The deputy chief of Superior North EMS said all eight ambulances in the city, plus the two in Shuniah and Conmee, were called into service.

"We've had numerous requests to attend to motor vehicle accidents, actually on the outskirts of the city, which has basically depleted our fleet," Don Stokes said.

"There's the potential there that we're without ambulances to respond to other emergencies for periods of time."

There was a 10-minute window when no paramedics were available to respond to incoming 9-1-1 calls in Thunder Bay. None of those calls came in, however. An extra crew was brought in on overtime to handle the workload. None of the injuries people suffered in the accidents was life-threatening, Superior North EMS said.

"Most of it appears to be weather-related," Stokes said.

"I guess people just weren't driving according to the conditions on the road."

Hwy 17 between Terrace Bay and White River was temporarily shut down due to snow and ice on the road. Hwy 102 west of Thunder Bay was also closed.