"It was a slap": first responders remember the horror of the Humboldt crash on their birthday.

Warning: This story contains details that may bother some readers. Discretion is advised.

The first two responders at the scene of the Humboldt crash, which killed 16 people, spoke to Calgary Today's host Joe McFarlane of 770 CHQR about their day-long experience. year.

READ MORE:
Humboldt marks the first anniversary of the tragedy of Broncos

"These memories, I do not think they will go away anytime soon," said Brian Starkell, Nipawin Fire Chief. "I have no doubt about the fact that it was the longest night of my life."

Starkell was the fire chief on the scene at the time of the accident that occurred at a rural road junction in Saskatchewan.

A memorial commemorating a year after the tragedy took place at the Elgar Petersen rink in Humboldt, Saskatchewan on Saturday night, and included a minute of silence at 4:50 pm, the exact time of the accident.

LISTEN: "We remember every detail" – The Fire Chief on the spot comes back to the Broncos bus accident

"I usually think of a birthday for a year, they go away and you think about it that day," Starkell said. "But in reality, this tragedy has not disappeared at all."

Jessica Brost, a paramedic paramedic from Nipawin, was also one of the first responders to the scene.

She stated that even though her team and herself felt that the accident would be serious by going to the scene because they heard that it was an accident. trailer, they thought the bus would still be intact with injured people inside.

LISTEN: "We are all in the same boat" – A paramedic Nipawin returns to the Broncos crash

When she got there, she said it was a "slap in the face".

"[The] The bus has just been demolished, it's a real slap, you're not quite prepared, "she said. "You are trying to prepare for the worst and none of us expected it to be so extreme.

"It was a scene very close to your face with very injured patients and several dead bodies."

READ MORE:
Emotional letter of the victim of a Humboldt accident read at the memorial

Brost explained that the victims had a lot of "facial trauma" that she had to deal with immediately. She also had to perform "primitive" treatment, she said, rolling bodies to the side to open the airways.

"We did not have the time to take action for yourself and to prepare a game plan, you just had to get going," she said. "The adrenaline came into play and you had the nervous energy and the desire to complete what needed to be done at that time."

She said it was only 24 hours later that she really realized the magnitude of the tragedy when she and her team began to see media reports, such as: The New York Times.

WATCH: Justin Trudeau says the Humboldt Broncos bus accident has shown that "hockey is a family"

Since the accident, Brost and Starkell both said that they needed a little time to recover, as well as their teams.

"We all had ups and downs, some guys were badigned a little stronger than the rest of the population," said Starkell, noting that his team members were taking time off, some receiving professional help. "Some guys take it very emotionally today."

Brost stated that she had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder for the first six months following the accident, and stated that with media coverage, it was difficult to escape at the event.

READ MORE:
"The longest night of my life": a doctor remembers the night of the bus accident in Humboldt Broncos

However, the first two speakers said that the support they received from their teams and from their teams across Canada was incredible.

"The coverage and support of all provinces in Canada and around the world was incredible," Starkell said.

Brost said that it "meant everything" to know that you did not suffer alone and that you received personal cards from all provinces, as well as works of art, quilts, donations and "unreal" quantities. of food.

"It was just a Canadian way to show love and support," she said. "Thank you Canada for your support, you have been great."