![]() ![]() Humchitt says working at the lighthouse is significant to him because of his passion for the ocean and storms, and the importance of helping protect people who live and work on the sea. "Living in isolation we know that one of the biggest risks, if we have a big emergency like a heart attack, that it will take some time for any kind of response to get to the station or wherever we're at," he added. knew that the situation I was in was pretty dire," he said. ![]() "Not only do you have to give first aid to someone that you love, but you have to watch them being taken away. Humchitt said his medical emergency brought home the risks of living so remotely for both him and his partner. He said he was relieved to return to Maliszewski, who had to remain at the lighthouse because the station couldn't be left unattended. in Victoria following emergency heart surgery, waiting for a Coast Guard helicopter to take him home. "At one point the pain was so bad, I wasn't able to focus on anything or concentrate on what was happening."Ĭape Scott lighthouse keeper Harvey Humchitt, Jr. Humchitt says the journey, which took three hours instead of the usual 1½ to two because of the conditions, was excruciating. They assessed Humchitt and then took him to Port Hardy on the Pachena Bay. Garry Deis, commanding officer of the Port Hardy Rescue Station, was part of the rescue and said three crew members landed in a Zodiac vessel at the lighthouse station in 1.5-metre swells. The CCGS Pachena Bay lifeboat was also sent out with a five-person crew from Port Hardy - the nearest community, around an 80-kilometre sail to the east - and ultimately took over the rescue when the fog didn't lift. The journeyĪ Cormorant helicopter from CFB Comox was dispatched and landed on a nearby beach to wait out the fog, while the Atlantic Eagle, a Canadian Coast Guard tow vessel, was diverted to help. "The situation was getting really dire as the fog was thickening by the moment and it was looking more and more likely that I might not make it off the station," said Humchitt. Humchitt would end up making an almost 500-kilometre trip to get surgery in Victoria after narrowly avoiding a massive heart attack.īut as the fog descended at Cape Scott, he grew increasingly concerned he might not be able to leave the lighthouse at all. In Depth 'The jewel of the southeast': Alaskans join forces to restore abandoned lighthouse Humchitt's medical emergency on Oct. 2 triggered a multi-vehicle rescue effort that highlighted the challenges and risks associated with his line of work - and, according to the union that represents lighthouse keepers, shows how more support and relief staff are urgently needed for this critical role. His partner of 33 years, Todd Maliszewski, with whom he lives and works at the lighthouse station, convinced him to call for help - but by then dense fog had blanketed northern Vancouver Island, making it difficult to co-ordinate a rescue from the remote spot, which is only accessible by boat, helicopter or the rugged North Coast Trail. "I was keeling over, grabbing my chest," he recalled. Humchitt, keeper of the lighthouse on the wild northwest tip of Vancouver Island, says he initially attributed the pain to angina. But by late afternoon he was doubled over. was up at 3 a.m. for the start of his shift at the Cape Scott lighthouse when he started noticing pain in his chest. ![]()
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