Hot on the heels of a Dec. 21, 2010 budget debate about long-term plans to create a satellite emergency services station south of the Illecillewaet River, a Jan. 6 vehicle crash highlighted Fire Chief Rob Girard’s concerns about the vulnerability created by the sole link across the river.
At about 3 p.m., responders were called to the bridge after a large pickup lost control and crashed into the guardrail, winding up on its side on the bridge where it blocked both lanes of traffic.
The truck was preventing first responders from accessing areas south of the river, creating a “great concern” for firefighters,” says Girard. It also prevented the ambulance from transporting the injured driver to Queen Victoria Hospital.
A BC Hydro truck was used to winch the truck off the bridge.
Girard thanked the Hydro crew for their help. “The bridge is such an huge concern for all emergency responders when accessing the southeast side, especially when it’s blocked and we must work quickly to open it again,” he said.
At the Dec. 21 budget meeting, Girard expressed his concern about such a scenario, giving the example of a larger truck colliding into the bridge’s structure and disabling it for an extended period of time.