RED DEER TOUTED AS A DOG FRIENDLY CITY
KISS AND TELL Sylvan Lake has special significance
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Red Deer Advocate FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015
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Feeling the heat EXPERIMENT RAISES AWARENESS ABOUT LEAVING PETS, CHILDREN INSIDE HOT CARS BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Matt DiPaola of KG Country 95.5 was really feeling the heat Thursday as he volunteered to see what it would be like to roast in a vehicle with the windows rolled up on a hot summer day. During his 40 minutes in the vehicle the temperature inside rose to 62C. DiPola exited the car drenched in sweat. City of Red Deer Fire Medics were standing by monitoring his vital signs during the event.
Human hyperthermia guinea pig Matt DiPaola sweated buckets for a good cause on Thursday. The KG Country 95.5 FM morning show host darn near parboiled himself inside a car to help local firefighters and the SPCA send a message about the dangers of leaving pets and children inside vehicles during the summer. DiPaola, who pulled on an extra sweater and sweatpants to emulate furry skins, lasted only 40 minutes inside the white Toyota Yaris compact outside Red Deer Emergency Services’ Station 1 downtown. It was about 30C inside the car when he climbed in. Within minutes, the inside temperature soared to 50C and it peaked at 60C. DiPaola said he felt uncomfortable within five minutes. “I felt it right away.” If not for the experiment, he would have had all he could take at 10 minutes, he said. Attending fire-medic Adam Erickson said DiPaola started out with a healthy blood pressure of 130/60 and pulse rate of about 60 beats per minute. His blood pressure soared to 155/90 and pulse peaked at about 100 as his body tried desperately to cool itself by circulating blood to the surface of the skin. His core temperature rose 2C. For children and pets, the effects would be even worse. Children have far lower resistance to heat stress than adults. Their body temperatures rise three to five times faster. In the U.S., almost 40 unattended children a year die inside hot vehicles. A General Motors of Canada study found that within 20 minutes, the air temperature in a previously air-conditioned small car exposed to the sun on a 35C day topped 50C. Within 40 minutes, the temperature soared to just over 65C. However, summer scorchers are not the only risky days. At an outside temperature of as little as 21C, inside vehicle temperatures can climb 40 degrees into lethal territory. Damian LaGrange, assistant deputy chief of fire operations, said cracking a window offers little relief. “It does make a little bit of a difference but very little, because (the vehicle becomes) a greenhouse.” Red Deer SPCA executive director Tara Hellewell said Thursday’s test was a useful reminder to pet owners. Pets panic when they’re overheating, often fighting desperately to get out of the vehicle, causing them even more distress and danger.
Please see HEAT on Page A2
City launches probe of underground pipe system BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF A probe into what forced a 62-year-old water pipe to release 10 million litres of chlorinated water near the Bellevue Reservoir is continuing. But the City of Red Deer is not taking any chances with its underground pipe system. It has launched a full-scale investigation and inspection into the more than 500 km of pipe. The process could take several months. Tom Marstaller, the city’s Environmental Planning superintendent, said the age of city’s underground infrastructure ranges from pipe that was laid last week to 100 years ago. “As the city grows, pipe gets installed initially,” he said. “Some of that pipe has been replaced. Some
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hasn’t. We are constantly trying to keep ahead of pipes before they break but it is a process.” The pipe that burst on June 25 was laid in 1953. Marstaller said age is one factor but there are many factors that go into what causes a pipe to break. The findings of the underground investigation will help inform the pipe replacement capital plan. “We are always trying to manage our infrastructure to the best of our abilities,” said Marstaller. “Trying to balance off condition versus age versus risk. That’s a bit of an ongoing process.” The city is finishing up its 55th Street Improvement project, which includes replacing the aging pipe to support future development in Railyards and Riverlands. It was one of the areas that the city deemed critical, said Marstaller.
The early-morning June 25 leak on the water line occurred 114 metres from the Red Deer River. A portion of the 10 million litres of chlorinated water entered the river. It also damaged infrastructure near the CPR pedestrian bridge and trail. To date, the city has spent roughly $60,000 to repair the leak and to fix the infrastructure. The pipe has been fixed and a piece was removed for inspection. Environment Canada and Alberta Environment are investigating the incident. An investigation is triggered when more than one mg per litre of water with chlorine residuals is discharged. In this incident, 1.84 mg per litre of water were discharged. Marstaller said these investigations take time and the city is waiting to hear the outcome. crhyno@reddeeradvocate.com
Little known about string of threats The past week has seen several threats made against Canadian airliners. Aviation experts are taking notice. Story on PAGE A5
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