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Police, fire and rescue personnel walk around the front of the new dunes rescue building at the ATV staging area in Winchester Bay. The building will be used by three different agencies.
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ENLARGE
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Douglas County Sheriffs Deputy Chris Nofsinger is flanked by four Dune Fest posters in their new office in Winchester Bay. The new dunes rescue building will be used by three different agencies — the Winchester Bay Fire & Rescue, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and emergency personnel from Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport.
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WINCHESTER BAY — Every week, a call comes in to the Winchester Bay Fire & Rescue seeking medical assistance for a rider of an all-terrain vehicle who has taken a spill on the dunes.
For years, the 15-member volunteer department rolled its dunes rescue vehicles from a small shed near the Umpqua Lighthouse. For the past couple of years, they’ve used a temporary building set up on Half Moon Bay, part way between Winchester Bay proper and the dunes.
Now, they’ll have even better access to the dunes following construction of a dunes rescue building at the ATV staging area set up by Douglas County.
Portions of the $278,000 building will be used by three different agencies — the fire and rescue group, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and emergency personnel from Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport. The building was constructed through licensing fees paid by ATV owners and grants provided under the Title III program from the federal timber safety net.
“It’s all about accessing the patients,” Chief Scott Anderson of Winchester Bay Fire & Rescue said.
Anderson’s department comes out only to the most serious wrecks, where medical attention is needed before an accident victim is taken to the hospital. The fire department has responded 52 times in the past year, he said.
“Of course, there were several hundred more that took themselves out,” Anderson said.
By having the building visible, along with an ambulance, Anderson said he hopes that will send a stronger message to riders about the dangers when riding on the dunes.
“People need to understand that people are injured all the time and a couple of people die every year,” he said.
The number of people riding ATVs at the dunes has risen dramatically over the past few years, said Kevin Van Syoc, director of emergency medical services at Lower Umpqua Hospital. And while the number of people hurt may seem high, the percentage is probably about the same as in years past, he said.
Riders are most often injured after flying over the top of a dune and landing hard below, Van Syoc said. They’re often thrown from the vehicle or roll over and are struck by the ATV, he said.
“We see some really serious accidents,” Van Syoc said, mostly involving injuries to the arm, leg, neck and back.
For years, the 15-member volunteer department rolled its dunes rescue vehicles from a small shed near the Umpqua Lighthouse. For the past couple of years, they’ve used a temporary building set up on Half Moon Bay, part way between Winchester Bay proper and the dunes.
Now, they’ll have even better access to the dunes following construction of a dunes rescue building at the ATV staging area set up by Douglas County.
Portions of the $278,000 building will be used by three different agencies — the fire and rescue group, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and emergency personnel from Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport. The building was constructed through licensing fees paid by ATV owners and grants provided under the Title III program from the federal timber safety net.
“It’s all about accessing the patients,” Chief Scott Anderson of Winchester Bay Fire & Rescue said.
Anderson’s department comes out only to the most serious wrecks, where medical attention is needed before an accident victim is taken to the hospital. The fire department has responded 52 times in the past year, he said.
“Of course, there were several hundred more that took themselves out,” Anderson said.
By having the building visible, along with an ambulance, Anderson said he hopes that will send a stronger message to riders about the dangers when riding on the dunes.
“People need to understand that people are injured all the time and a couple of people die every year,” he said.
The number of people riding ATVs at the dunes has risen dramatically over the past few years, said Kevin Van Syoc, director of emergency medical services at Lower Umpqua Hospital. And while the number of people hurt may seem high, the percentage is probably about the same as in years past, he said.
Riders are most often injured after flying over the top of a dune and landing hard below, Van Syoc said. They’re often thrown from the vehicle or roll over and are struck by the ATV, he said.
“We see some really serious accidents,” Van Syoc said, mostly involving injuries to the arm, leg, neck and back.
The hospital has a sand rail that it uses to reach accident victims and transport them off the dunes. It will be moved to the dunes rescue building from a locked container at a U.S. Forest Service parking lot farther south. That will shorten the time needed to get to an injured person on the dunes.
The sheriff’s office will have an office in the building, which will also cut response times. In the past, it has taken 10 minutes or more to get to the dunes from the shack at the lighthouse area, sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Frey said.
“It could make a huge difference depending on the situation,” he said.
The dunes around Winchester Bay tend to be steeper than those around Florence and Coos Bay and even riders experienced on those dunes need to exercise care when riding at Winchester Bay, officials said. With constantly shifting sands, the height and characteristics of the dunes can be completely different from one weekend to the next.
“Just because you flew down here at 60 miles per hour last week doesn’t mean you can do that again today,” Frey said.
The sheriff’s office has five deputies assigned to its Reedsport substation. Officials hope to have a sixth officer available during the summer and to assign two deputies to work out of the dunes rescue building during those months, Frey said.
Deputies plan on hosting regular ATV safety classes to instruct novice riders before they head out on the dunes. Officials said many of those injured in ATV accidents have little experience on the machines.
With more and more families coming to the dunes, many aggressive riders have moved away from the more crowded areas. Still, deputies say it is one of their primary goals to make sure young and older riders alike can ride safely.
“When people come here, their primary concern is safety for their kids. It’s our main concern, too,” Deputy Chris Noffsinger said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
The sheriff’s office will have an office in the building, which will also cut response times. In the past, it has taken 10 minutes or more to get to the dunes from the shack at the lighthouse area, sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Frey said.
“It could make a huge difference depending on the situation,” he said.
The dunes around Winchester Bay tend to be steeper than those around Florence and Coos Bay and even riders experienced on those dunes need to exercise care when riding at Winchester Bay, officials said. With constantly shifting sands, the height and characteristics of the dunes can be completely different from one weekend to the next.
“Just because you flew down here at 60 miles per hour last week doesn’t mean you can do that again today,” Frey said.
The sheriff’s office has five deputies assigned to its Reedsport substation. Officials hope to have a sixth officer available during the summer and to assign two deputies to work out of the dunes rescue building during those months, Frey said.
Deputies plan on hosting regular ATV safety classes to instruct novice riders before they head out on the dunes. Officials said many of those injured in ATV accidents have little experience on the machines.
With more and more families coming to the dunes, many aggressive riders have moved away from the more crowded areas. Still, deputies say it is one of their primary goals to make sure young and older riders alike can ride safely.
“When people come here, their primary concern is safety for their kids. It’s our main concern, too,” Deputy Chris Noffsinger said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
