KAMLOOPS FIREFIGHTERS SHOVEL THEIR WAY TO RIVER RESCUE
TUESDAY
Kamloops firefighters turned shovels into paddles as they rescued four people from a sinking boat in the South Thompson River. At about 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, police and firefighters were called to a spot on the water near the Lafarge concrete plant in east Kamloops after a boat with four occupants — including a 13-month-old infant — ran into trouble. Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said the
boat lost power and began to take on water. With police standing on either shore, a group of firefighters set out to get the boaters and the baby off the craft. “The two Kamloops Fire Rescue staff had somehow obtained a canoe and they were able to row out to the vessel using shovels as paddles,” Learned said. The occupants — a 32-year-old woman and two men, aged 43 and 44, as well as the infant — were all taken safely to shore.
The boaters called for help after one of the men on board attempted to swim to land. “He was forced back by the cold water and the swiftness of the river,” Learned said. The baby was the only person on the boat who had a life jacket. Learned said the incident should serve as a reminder to be prepared when taking to the water, with boating season getting underway.
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Investigators eye valve in CO leak By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
A faulty boiler valve appears to be behind a weekend gas leak at the Ice Box Arena that sent about 50 people to the hospital, but investigating authorities don’t yet know what caused the malfunction at the privately owned rink. Kelly Haddon, spokesperson for the BC Safety Authority, said an investigation into the carbon-monoxide (CO) leak is just beginning. Safety officers were headed to the arena on Monday morning (May 7). “The BC Safety Authority will be looking for any possible technical failures related to installation, operation, maintenance of regulated equipment and product at the arena,” Haddon said. The gas leak was detected at about 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, when players in the Pacific Challenge hockey tournament began reporting headaches, nausea and, in a few cases, erratic pulses. “A lot of people were feeling the same effects and not just from the hockey and the rink,” tournament organizer Barry Rosenberger told KTW. A member of the first-aid crew on site tested the arena using the Ice Box’s CO detector and decided to evacuate the building after finding elevated levels. “We were kind of yelling and screaming around to everybody to stop the games,” Rosenberger said. “We had to go through all the rooms and get people outside and people were very good about that.
“They rushed to the doors and the guys who were playing hockey stopped, took their skates off and went outside with all their gear on.” Emergency crews were on the scene by 4:30 p.m. and organizers also notified other players who had left the tournament early. Technicians from FortisBC were called to the scene and shut down and tagged a boiler believed to be the source of the leak. A spokesperson for the gas company said it will also be working with the BC Safety Authority on its investigation. Initial reports pegged CO levels in parts of the arena at 170 parts per million, though neither the BC Safety Authority or FortisBC were able to confirm that number. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CO levels of 200 can result in people suffering slight headaches, fatigue, dizziness and nausea after up to three hours of exposure. Exposure to CO levels of 800 parts per million can lead to death within two to three hours. CO detectors must sound an alarm within one and four hours if levels are at 70 parts per million and must sound an alarm within 10 and 50 minutes if levels are at 150 parts per million. Ice Box owner Gary Hartnell said the arena’s detector didn’t go off until it was taken into the area where the leak is believed to have originated. “The guys usually wear it when they’re driving the Zamboni — and it hadn’t gone off,” he said. X See GAS LEVELS A7
GOING TO WARR ON THE T-BALL FIELD Jaxon Warr of Kamloops displays complete concentration and effort as he channels his inner Babe Ruth while trying for a home run during Kamloops Minor Baseball Association’s T-ball practice at McArthur Island on the weekend. Jaxon did make contact with the ball, sending the rest of his Jays teammates scrambling to field the ball. George Wycherley/KTW
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