Quesnel reviews emergency response

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

A debriefing session was held earlier yesterday afternoon with key stakeholders including the Fire Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Work Safe BC, contractor and developer for the site, and City representatives from Bylaw Enforcement, Public Works, Development Services, and Communications to report out and review the response to the natural gas leak in the downtown area on Monday, July 29.

The situation arose at approximately 2:40 p.m. when an excavator hit an abandoned gas line on the construction site at the corner of St. Laurent Avenue and Reid Street. A call was immediately made to 911 to dispatch fire, police and ambulance to the scene and evacuation of the surrounding area promptly ensued. Within minutes a twelve-block area was secured. Neighbouring businesses and residents were asked to leave the area. An emergency reception center was set up at the Quesnel & District Arts and Recreation Centre for anyone evacuated as a result of the incident. At approximately 6:00 p.m., the gas leak had been isolated and those evacuated were advised that they could return to the area.

It was noted that the contractor followed all necessary requirements prior to the excavation. No injuries were reported.

The City of Quesnel along with all of the other stakeholders view public safety as their first concern. Heightened communication was discussed as well as policy and procedure for emergency events.

“We are confident that the situation was handled extremely well by those involved” says Director of Emergency Services Sylvain Gauthier, “and we acknowledge that there are always ways to improve existing procedures. That was the main purpose of the debriefing session.”

Quesnel Mayor Mary Sjostrom adds, “I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the people who reacted so quickly to the situation and are responsible for the positive outcome of this incident.”