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Parks Canada reaches deal with Golden, Lake Louise on road rescue

“We’re happy with where things have landed and we do really see this as a sustainable long-term solution," said Alex Kolesch, a Parks Canada senior advisor.
20210126 Field Fire Hall 0009
Yoho National Park Fire Station in Field, B.C. EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO

FIELD – Delivery of emergency services on the busy Trans-Canada Highway through Yoho National Park has been finalized after Parks Canada turned down the demoralized Field fire department’s request for a full-time paid fire chief.

The federal agency has reached agreements with Golden and Lake Louise fire departments to respond to road accidents involving people trapped inside vehicles who require extrication.

“If there was no need for extrication then BC Emergency Health Service, or BC Ambulance, would be responding,” said Alex Kolesch, a Parks Canada senior advisor in Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay.

“In addition, Parks Canada visitor safety staff, other Parks Canada staff, STARS air ambulance and the RCMP all continue to work in the area.”

Last month, an agreement was reached with Lake Louise Fire and Rescue (LLFR) to respond to vehicle incidents involving people trapped from the Alberta-B.C. border to the Ottertail viewpoint, about 13-kilometres west of the Field townsite.

Golden will cover the stretch of highway from that town east to Ottertail.

Officials with Improvement District No. 9 say LLFR has entered into an agreement with Emergency Management B.C.

“[This] enables them to respond to vehicle extrication calls within Yoho National Park when resources allow,” said Danielle Morine, ID9 chief administrative officer and executive director of Lake Louise Banff Municipal Services Society.

Parks Canada says it has reached an agreement with Golden, and Golden CAO Jon Wilsgard said he will take a formal proposal to town council some time this month.

He said administration will propose a reciprocity style agreement with LLFR to respond to extrication and entrapment calls to the Ottertail Viewpoint with the understanding LLFR would respond westward to the same location.

“Understandably and only if LLFR is either temporarily unable to respond within the area between the Ottertail viewpoint and the B.C.-Alberta border or requires assistance, we will do so,” Wilsgard said.

Two serious accidents on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Field in late 2020 resulted in men trapped inside their trucks for many hours, pointing to the urgency of having this issue resolved sooner rather than later.

On Oct. 27, two semi-trailers crashed west of Field, leaving a 63-year-old man seriously injured and trapped inside his vehicle for about two hours. He was later flown by STARS air ambulance to Calgary’s Foothills Hospital.

Previously, on Oct. 4. a driver whose semi-trailer rolled west of Field was trapped inside his truck for three to three-and-half-hours. Golden Fire-Rescue responded to both accidents.

Field Fire and Rescue Department stopped responding to road rescues last year when ongoing negotiations with Parks Canada – which is legally bound to provide road rescue in Yoho National Park – reached  a stalemate.

The department had been dealing with a growing number of emergency calls on the highway with increasing visitation, as well as a greater burden of liability, time demands and administrative requirements to operate a fire department.

Firefighters and Field’s community association had been trying to convince Parks Canada for well over a year of the need for a full-time paid fire chief. There have been three chiefs in the last five years.

No one stepped forward to take on the role at the department’s annual general meeting last October, but not wanting to let down the community, Patrick Cais stepped in as acting chief again.

Parks Canada said it will not pay for a full-time fire chief.

“It is something that Field Fire has asked for, and it’s not something that we’re going to pursue,” Kolesch said.

Instead, Parks Canada is currently looking to hire an emergency services coordinator, as per a recommendation of an independent study it commissioned to look at the structure and operation of Field’s fire department.

“What that position will do, among other things, is provide some administrative support to the Field fire department so that these folks can focus on training and response and less so on administrative tasks,” Kolesch said.

The scope of the contract Parks Canada is seeking with Field includes structural fire suppression and a range of other calls within the community, including gas leaks or downed power lines.

It is unclear who will respond to vehicle fires or hazardous material spills.

The contract with the fire department expired March 31, and a new one had not been finalized by the Outlook’s publication deadline as documents were still going between Parks and the fire department.

Parks Canada did say that Field will no longer be responding to Canadian Pacific Railway accidents, which include derailments.

“We had a conversation with CP about six or eight months ago now, and they are very well resourced to manage emergencies,” Kolesch said.

“They understand that Field Fire wouldn’t be responding to any railway based incidents.”

A spokesperson for CP Rail did not get back to the Outlook by deadline. Field fire department did not want to comment because the new contract has yet to be signed.

Field’s community association, which has been backing the department’s call for a full-time paid fire chief, is disappointed with how the issue has played out.

“We haven't been told anything about levels of service from either department,” said Kathryn Cameron, president of Field Recreation Advisory Association.

Kolesch said the ongoing discussions have been about the long-term sustainability of the fire department, noting the townsite has approximately 130 residents.

“To have a well functioning fire department, you need well over 10 per cent of the population to volunteer, and that’s a big ask of any community,” he said.

“We’re happy with where things have landed and we do really see this as a sustainable long-term solution.”

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