THURSDAY
S I N C E
MARCH 14, 2013
1 8 9 5
Vol. 118, Issue 42
110
$
TCHL finalists square off tonight Page 9
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Public playing safe in backcountry, says local SAR president
ON THE MOVE
Avalanche danger rated high for Kootenay region BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
Avalanche conditions are worsening as the advent of spring throws a tempest into the backcountry tea pot but people are getting the message and are staying safe, says the president of the region’s backcountry rescue team. Rod Medland of the South Columbia Search and Rescue team said even though the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is issuing a high danger rating for the backcountry alpine people are already being cautious in the backcountry. The avalanche danger is rated as considerable below the treeline as well, as wet weather has arrived to soak the snow. But Medland said people are getting the message and are doing the due diligence to ensure if they venture into the great white yonder they do it armed with knowledge and information. He pointed to the average volume of calls for rescues this year— four—as testament to how people
are more prepared in what has been a tumultuous year for backcountry travel and avalanches. “But a lot of people are knowing this. They are taking their avalanche training and this is what they are being taught, to read the snow. They are learning what is safe and what is not. These course are paying off,” he said. The year in the backcountry has been characterized by varied conditions, said Medland. On weekends where storms have been forecast to come in and the warnings were issued people played it smart, said Medland. “Skiers and sledders have been well behaved. A lot of the sledders in the area are playing it safe, riding roads, trails and areas that aren’t avalanche danger areas,” he said, noting the four rescues were of snowboarders. Precipitation and warm temperatures are expected in the days to come creating new storm slabs at all elevations and new wind slabs in the alpine and treeline. The potential avalanche size is expected to increase as more snow piles up, warned the CAC. See INFORMATION, Page 3
Program aimed to support those battling chronic disease BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
TIMOTHY SCHAFER PHOTO
Vern Sofokleus moved in furniture for a friend to an upstairs apartment on Rossland Avenue when the snow and rain abated earlier this week.
A new $2.2 million program to help people with chronic disease issues is taking it outside of hospital walls of the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. The community-based program is being expanded in Trail and is intended to improve patients’ quality of life and help keep them out of the hospital. The Interior Health Authority (IHA) is directing $2.2 million for a program called BreatheWell over the next three years, with an additional respiratory therapist expected
to be hired in the city to work with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the community, to manage symptoms and help avoid unnecessary hospital visits. There will also be expanded rehabilitation efforts and an educational component for COPD, a chronic condition that obstructs air flow in a patient’s lungs. The unpredictable and serious nature of “flare-ups”—when symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, and mucous production rapidly onset—means many COPD See TEAMS, Page 3
Make your banking make a difference. online & telephone banking
mobile web
eStatements
eTransfers
Where you bank and how you bank makes a difference. At Kootenay Savings, you can protect the environment by going paperless with free online, mobile and telephone banking, online applications, eTransfers and eStatements. Make a change and make a difference today.
better. together.
kscu.com
Contact the Times: Phone: FineLine250-368-8551 Technologies 62937 Index 9 Fax:JN250-368-8550 80% 1.5 BWR NU Newsroom: 250-364-1242 Canada Post, Contract number 42068012