Crews ready for dunes mishaps By MEGAN BAKKER, Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:22 PM PST
PAUL NILSON PHOTO
Neil Hamada, dunes manager for the Bureau of Land Management, gives a tour of the new basic life support trauma center at the Imperial Sand Dunes, where thousands are expected to spend the Thanksgiving holiday.
GLAMIS — Get about 150,000 tourists. Give them off-road vehicles, alcohol and free range of a 40-mile stretch of sand dunes.
It would be strange to not have an accident happen.
“There’s so many people out there that they just run into each other,” said Richie Navarro, an R.N. with El Centro Regional Medical Center.
Thanksgiving weekend is historically one of the biggest weekends for the Imperial Sand Dunes, and officials are working on preparing for the event.
Neil Hamada, dunes manager with the Bureau of Land Management, said that last year there were about 120 calls for medical assistance just over Thanksgiving weekend. Hamada said he expects to see a similar number this weekend.
This is why, for the fourth year now, El Centro Regional will be partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to provide medical assistance for the dunes.
“They’re so impacted with all the visitors they need the extra help,” Navarro said.
El Centro Regional, along with Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley, will be manning a temporary emergency station at the ranger station in Glamis, on the north end of the dunes. Navarro said there will be at least one nurse and one tech on hand from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from today to Sunday.
Hamada said there is also a brand new facility at the Grey’s Well ranger station in Buttercup Valley that just opened this October. There will also be a temporary rescue trailer at Gordon’s Well just for the holiday weekend.
The services, which this year include an air ambulance from Reach Air Medical Services, are either donated or paid for by the Kris “Chili Dog” Frick nonprofit foundation, Hamada said. The nonprofit was started after Frick’s death out at the dunes.
“It provided us with facilities that we were in need of,” Hamada said of the organization. For example, Gold Cross ambulance service, which answers most of the calls to the dunes, initially had no way of getting out there without BLM vehicles. The fund helped Gold Cross get their own trucks and off-road vehicles so they could get out to accidents faster.
Nick Heuberger, the marketing coordinator for ECRMC, said the nurses can see everything from scrapes and broken bones to major injuries.
“On big weekends it really varies,” Heuberger said.
Navarro said the best way to stay safe is to pay attention.
“Try to be mindful of the environment and what’s around you,” Navarro said. Also, he said to take it slow, wear the recommended safety gear, and remember to drink plenty of water.
" EVEN ON TURKEY DAY YOU GUYS HATE GET A LIFE AND ENJOY WHATEVER YOURE DOING. GIVE THANKS YOURE LIVING "
burn33 wrote on Nov 27, 2008 9:08 AM:
" I have had better Thanksgivings in the dunes than I have ever had in any home. Several times while making and serving dinner we have had complete strangers ask to join our meal and created a huge potluck. Now that some family has had to move away, Thanksgiving is the only time we can all get together and do something we all enjoy. I don't know what some people would consider the "meaning" of Thanksgiving, but for me, enjoying the company of family and friends, sharing our bounty with new friends as well as enjoying theirs, coming together with strangers for no reason other to enjoy their company as well as being Thankful that myself and my family have prospered well enough to not only buy the toys for the dunes, but that we can use them while spending time with our families couldn't sum up Thanksgiving any better! "
MadHatter10/6 wrote on Nov 27, 2008 8:09 AM:
" cookmulberry, you're comments couldn't be any more racist. "
MadHatter10/6 wrote on Nov 27, 2008 8:08 AM:
" buhs89, DIDDO. The only thing that happens out there is people get hurt-not to mention polluting the air.
They need a more constructive hobby! "
kayro14 wrote on Nov 27, 2008 7:39 AM:
" buhs: You are hardly an authority on the "true" meaning of Thanksgiving. You are entitled to your opinion, but that's all it is. How others spend time with family and friends on Thanksgiving, enjoying the fruits of their labor is a personal choice. It would be just as easy for someone else to criticize you for whatever you do today. This is a case of live and let live. There are always a few who spoil it for the rest and duners are no exception. The ISDRA is known across the country as one of the premier sand dune destinations and it brings a great deal of attention and money to Imperial County. If duning isn't your thing, stay home and watch parades and football or blog at 1:00 A.M. "
cookmulberry wrote on Nov 27, 2008 7:35 AM:
" i'll take the white trash thanksgiving !! those trailers and trucks are worth more than your house on the east side with 20 people sitting around eating beans an tamales dont be so racist "
rayodeseeleynoa wrote on Nov 27, 2008 5:28 AM:
" Exellent,sand on my turkey.it has never tasted better. "
buhs89 wrote on Nov 27, 2008 1:03 AM:
" White Trash Thanksgiving! Lovely! Let's be thankful for our trailers and quads. It is sad that people have forgotten what Thanksgiving really means. Spending time in Glamis with a bunch of sand and beer isn't what we should be reaching for here. "
Log on
If you have an account already, just enter your Member ID and Password to access this page.
If you're new to our site, please create a new account.
Register FREE
To use certain features of ivpressonline.com, you must register FREE on the form provided. The Imperial Valley Press’ use of any personally identifying information you provide as part of registration is governed by the following privacy policy:
ivpressonline.com does not, and will not, release your personal information to any third party without your consent. We may, however, share some of the information we gather, in aggregate or demographic form, with advertisers and other partners. That is, we may provide general information about ways people use our site without identifying any particular individuals.
The opinions above are from readers of ivpressonline.com and in no way represent the views of the Imperial Valley Press staff or Schurz Communications Inc.
ivpressonline.com encourages readers to offer their opinions on our local stories. We ask readers keep their comments on topic and avoid derogatory comments about fellow readers. Our goal is to promote a civil discussion about the news.
We will never edit or alter comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain:
Subscribe Get the Imperial Valley Press every morning at your home or office. Start a subscription for your family, for yourself or give it to someone special. Click here.
Text Message AlertsReceive text message alerts on breaking news, latest updates, sports scores, offers and much more on your cellphone or PDA. Sign up here.
RegisterRegister free and start receiving email alerts on breaking news, a sneak preview of upcoming stories, reminders and much more. Click here to begin.
About UsWant to know more about the Imperial Valley Press? Want to contact us? Get general and contact information. Click here.
DEBBIEM wrote on Nov 27, 2008 5:34 PM: