Harvey Humchit Jr. 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.
Humchit, a lighthouse keeper on Vancouver Island’s wild northwest tip, says he initially chalked up the pain to angina. But by late afternoon it had doubled.
“I was screaming, clutching my chest,” he recalled.
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 thick fog had blanketed northern Vancouver Island, making it difficult to coordinate a rescue from a distance that’s only accessible by by boat, helicopter or by North Coast Crossroads.
Humchitt’s medical emergency on October 2 sparked a multi-vehicle rescue effort that highlighted the challenges and risks involved in its work – and, according to the union representing lighthouse keepers, shows how more support and support staff are urgently needed for this critical role.
Humchit would end up making the nearly 500km journey to have surgery in Victoria after narrowly avoiding a massive heart attack.
But as the fog descended over Cape Scott, he became increasingly concerned that he might not be able to leave the lighthouse at all.
“The situation was getting really dire as the fog was getting thicker by the minute and it was looking more and more likely that I wouldn’t be able to leave the station,” Humchit said.
The journey
A 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 tug, was diverted to assist.
The CCGS Pachena Bay lifeboat was also dispatched with a crew of five from Port Hardy – the nearest community, about 80 kilometers sail to the east – and eventually took over the rescue when the fog did not lift.
Gary Deiss, commanding officer of the Port Hardy lifeguard station, was part of the rescue and said three crew members landed a Zodiac vessel at the lighthouse station in 1.5m waves.
They assessed Humchit and then took him to Port Hardy on Pacena Bay.
Humchit says the trip, which took three hours instead of the usual 1½ to two because of the conditions, was excruciating.
“It hurt a lot,” he said. “At one point the pain was so bad I couldn’t focus on anything or concentrate on what was going on.”
From Port Hardy, an ambulance took Humchit 40 kilometers to Port McNeil Hospital, where he was told he was on the verge of a massive heart attack and given an injection to clear his arteries and increase blood flow.
The following day, Humchit was airlifted a further 360 kilometers south-east to the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, where he underwent angioplasty and had two stents inserted.
Lighthouse life risks
There are 90 lighthouse keepers across Canada, 54 of them in British Columbia, according to the Canadian Coast Guard, which employs them. All but one of the West Coast lighthouse stations double as homes, and Humchit and Maliszewski live permanently in Cape Scott.
Despite the severity of his heart attack, Humchitt was ready to return home by October 7.
After the North Island was once again shrouded in thick fog, a Coast Guard helicopter dropped him off at Port Hardy and Pacena Bay brought him back to Cape Scott.
Cape Scott lighthouse keeper Harvey Humchit, a junior in Victoria after emergency heart surgery, is waiting for a Coast Guard helicopter to take him home. (Liz MacArthur/CBC News)
He said he was relieved to return to Maliszewski, who had to remain at the lighthouse because the station could not be left unattended.
Humchit said his medical emergency brought the risks of living so far away to both him and his partner.
“Not only do you have to give first aid to someone you love, but you have to watch them being taken away. [Maliszewski] I knew the situation I was in was pretty dire,” he said.
“Living in isolation, we know that one of the biggest risks if we have a major emergency like a heart attack is that it will take a while for the response to get to the station or wherever we are,” he added.
Humchit says working at the lighthouse is important to him because of his passion for the ocean and storms and the importance of helping to protect the people who live and work at sea.
“I have friends and family who have careers working on the water. I also lost friends and family at sea,” he said.
Storm clouds gather behind Cape Scott Lighthouse. (Harvey Humchit Jr./Submitted)
“Staff is a problem”
A spokesman for the Canadian Transport Employees Union says many lighthouse keepers stay in their position for a long time, and some are second or third generation keepers.
But Barry Chir, the union’s Pacific vice president, says the demands of the job can make it difficult to fill open positions.
“A lot of people get into it and then decide they’re just not cut out for it,” Chir says.
“So staffing is an issue. It’s not a very high-paying job and that’s a shame because there’s a lot of skill that goes into maintaining these things and it’s a high priority for the West Coast to have these light stations manned and have people watching.”
He says that over the years, lighthouse keepers have been the first to see ships in distress and coordinate rescues.
Although they are entitled to the same leave as other federal employees, it can be challenging to schedule and take leave due to unpredictable weather and find someone to cover their absence.
“We need to make sure they get the support they need,” Chir said, adding that there are auxiliary guards available, but he wants to see more staff put in place to ease the pressure on permanent guards.
In 2018, the union called the shortage of lighthouse keepers on the British Columbia coast “critical.”
In a statement, the Coast Guard said recruiting is a priority and is actively working to increase recruitment for lighthouse keeper positions.
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