Statement on Flin Flon Evacuation Due to Wildfires

A joint statement from Shared Health and the Northern Health RegionWednesday night and into Thursday, during the ongoing wildfire emergencies, all patients and care home residents in Flin Flon were safely evacuated to other facilities across the province where their ongoing care needs continue to be met.

This was a tremendous undertaking that was completed safely and as efficiently as possible, and according to established emergency management protocols. It was a successful endeavor thanks to a coordinated province-wide effort involving many people and organizations, including staff and leadership from the Shared Health, Northern Health Region and all Regional Health Authorities, the Manitoba Government, partners in Saskatchewan, as well as the receiving communities who stepped up without hesitation to provide care and comfort to patients, residents and their families.

The crisis also required the evacuation and closure of the community of Lynn Lake, further underscoring the scale and urgency of the situation. Management from across all sectors and regions began planning and resource allocation, ensuring each and every patient and care home resident had what they needed for a safe evacuation, their care needs were met upon arrival to their destination, also ensuring ongoing communication occurred with loved ones.

Frontline staff, including nursing, healthcare aides, allied health, ERS, physicians, mental health clinicians and facility support staff all participated in the evacuation, ensuring our patients and care home resident’s needs were met, and their mental health and wellbeing supported.

Shared Health’s paramedics, emergency response and patient flow teams provided safe transportation, and took on an incredible amount of planning that was required for a transfer operation of this magnitude. WRHA, Prairie Mountain Health, Southern Health-Sante Sud and Interlake Eastern RHA staff and leaders were prepared and ready at airports in Brandon and Winnipeg to greet patients and residents and facilitated transport to their temporary accommodations in acute and long term care facilities. Various other agencies including Winnipeg and Brandon Fire Paramedic Services all provided support and transportation in the southern communities.

The evacuation in the North was the biggest the province has seen, and is a true testament to the remarkable abilities and dedication of staff and teams across the province, when their help was needed more than ever. We can never thank you all enough. So, we thank you again.