Stock car racing is a fast and incredibly exciting sport. Its safe too because of improved safety protocols and equipment, and our infield crews who are always ready to respond when a Service Master Clean Caution occurs. Buddie Munn is our long time Emergency Medical Team leader. Wade Wilson recently spoke with Buddie about the work they do.
Talkin with Buddie Munn
Wade: Hey Buddie, I’ve been here since day one back in 1994, but you’ve been here even longer than that.
Buddie: I have been involved when the trees were still standing on the Speedway 660 property. It really was the Geary Woods back then! Jerry O’Leary is a family friend and I lived close to the speedway when it was being built. Jerry had a dream, when he was running the Penfield drag strip, of building a speedway in Geary. The St. John Ambulance was the first emergency medical provider at the original New Brunswick International Speedway. I volunteered with them, when I became a certified paramedic for the Fredericton region, and have been involved with medical safety for the speedway ever since.
Speedway 660’s Emergency Medical Team is always well prepared and ready to respond to provide medical services. Buddy Munn (left), our EMT leader and Terry Doherty (right) are two of our first responders who work “inside the fence” on race day.
Wade: Safety is a big concern in stock car racing. I know that Donnie Greer and his crew in the tech shed are very strict when it comes to following safety protocols with equipment and the cars.
Buddie: Safety in stock car racing is one of my biggest concerns. Donnie and his crew set my mind at ease because these guys to do a great job checking for safety issues during pre-season, pre-race and post-race tech inspections. Donnie has been at the speedway for a long time and his tech crew, the Fire and Rescue crew and the Emergency Medical Team work well together to keep the drivers safe and address any safety issues that come up.
Wade: What time do you get here on race day and what do you do to make sure you are ready when the first green flag of the night flies?
Buddie: I usually show up at the track and stay in our camper on Friday night, so I can be up early Saturday morning to get ready. On race day, we check over our safety vehicle and make sure we have all of the medical supplies we need. We also make sure the equipment is working and all the emergency lights are checked. We like to be ready to go to work about an hour before the pit gates open. We have to be ready to respond to any kind of medical emergency as soon as the gates open, which is usually around 12:30PM. I look after any medical issues up until the first green flag and Terry spot checks for safety issues.
Wade: You have a great working relationship with our Fire and Rescue team and together you guys are ready when called upon.
Buddie: Fire and Rescue and our Emergency Medical Team have a big responsibility at the speedway. We have an excellent working relationship and understand exactly what we have to do when we have to respond to a situation on the track or in the pits. When the speedway first opened, Fire and Rescue was provided by the Fredericton Fire Department. We had a good working relationship with them and that continued when Shane MacFarlane took over the Fire and Rescue Team. We have a short meeting before every race and if there is any new information or issues we deal with them before we start the race day. Shane and his crew look after my crew while we’re on the track and we do the same for them.
Speedway 660’s Fire and Rescue crew works closely with Buddie’s Emergency Medical Team. It sure is nice to know we’ve got an awesome group of experienced first responders who are well trained and always ready to jump into action when needed!
Wade: Speedway 660’s Emergency Medical Team is well trained and prepared to respond quickly when needed.
Buddie: The people who work with me all have different medical backgrounds. Some are first responders, others are paramedics and everyone is CPR and first aid certified. We make quick initial assessments and call 911 if we feel someone should go to the hospital. We stabilise the patient until Ambulance New Brunswick arrives and then transfer the care of the injured person from the Speedway 660 Emergency Medical Team to the ambulance attendants. As you’re aware, we’ve had several critical situations to deal with over the years.
Wade: One of the greatest fears of a driver is being trapped in a car that catches on fire. That doesn’t happen very often, but when it does the infield crew has got to act fast.
Buddie: We move fast and being in the infield gives us a real advantage to respond as soon as something happens on the track. We are equipped with radios to communicate with race control and respond as fast as possible, when we hear or see that a driver needs our help. If there is a wreck and no fire we go directly to the car. If there is potential for fire, then Fire and Rescue responds first for the safety of the driver and then we follow up. If necessary, we are prepared to do what we call a rapid extrication of the driver from the race car. The drivers know we have all the equipment necessary to protect them in case of fire. Between Fire and Rescue and the Emergency Medical Team and we are well prepared to do our job.
Our Emergency Medical Team is always ready to come to the aid of a Speedway 660 driver on race day. They really have to be “on their toes” when the ENDURO 200’s take to the track. It’s not unusual to see a scene like this, but more often than not the driver comes out unhurt.
Wade: What do you do to keep up with the latest developments in the emergency medical response and rescue field?
Buddie: I’m a member of the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick and have been for 21 years. We have to re-certify every year to keep our license upgraded. Also working in my Ambulance New Brunswick service job I have at least three training sessions per year plus continuous updates and upgrades on protocols and working standards. This allows me to keep up on all new skills which we need. I currently work in Oromocto as a full-time paramedic.
Wade: We’ve seen some big wrecks here over the years. Bradley Logan almost took out the flag stand one night, we had a car go through the signage on the backstretch and end up in the woods and we’ve seen cars barrel roll a time or two. What goes through your mind when you see something like that?
Buddie: You’ve been our announcer since 1994 Wade, so you’ve seen all of the big wrecks. It’s nice to know there is safety equipment in the race cars that designed to protect the driver and that equipment has really improved over the years. I always hope the driver has done everything that he is supposed to do to keep safe from injury. If they are buckled in properly and follow all of the safety protocols there is a very good chance they will come out of the wreck OK. Knowing that makes our job just a little bit easier.
But we have had some serious injuries and drivers have been sent to hospital. It is really hard to explain the feeling you get when something like that happens, but it is rewarding seeing the driver back at the track and getting a chance to talk with them. Teddy Rankin’s case is a good example of the work we do. Without getting into the particulars, he was in a real bad way one day at the track. Now every time he comes here, he thanks my wife Mary-Anne, Victor our son and Terry for what they did for him the day he left Speedway 660 in an ambulance. This is what makes our job unlike any other job.
Always ready to come to the rescue, Speedway 660’s Fire & Rescue crew and Emergency Medical Team work hand-in-hand to keep our drivers safe on race day.
Wade: I guess a good night for you is when you sit in the infield all evening without having to respond to a wreck.
Buddie: Those nights are few and far between. Those are good nights, but our team is not just sitting back, enjoying the races. They do a lot of things behind the scenes that most fans don’t notice. But people sure appreciate the fact that we are here and ready to respond when they need medical attention.
Wade: I know our drivers, the race teams, our fans and the Speedway 660 owners and staff really appreciate the work your team does and on behalf of all of them I would like to thank-you.
Speedway 660 is really happy to have Buddie Munn and his Emergency Medical Team at the races every week. All of the members of Buddie’s team loves racing and are dedicated to keeping our drivers, their teams, our fans and our staff safe!
Buddie: The members of the Emergency Medical Team: Mary-Anne, Victor, Kimberly, Shawn, Terry and I do this for the love of stock car racing. I have a son Buddie Junior who has been racing for the last eight years in go-karts at Speedway 660 with NBKC and has also raced in Florida, Ontario and Quebec. He’s also been to the Canadian Nationals. Allen one of my older sons has been wrenching, tuning and setting up pro stock cars for the last several years at the speedway. So racing is a big part of our family and it makes me appreciate the job our Emergency Medical Team does every week.
Wade: Have a great season Buddie.
Buddie: Thanks Wade, I am sure it’ll be an exciting season at Speedway 660. I encourage everyone to play safe and have a great year of racing.
