‘EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DAY’
City officials calling on community to pull together after death of three workers at local ice rink
The mayor of a small Kootenay city is calling for her community to pull together as it struggles to make sense of the deaths of three people Tuesday following an ammonia leak at a local ice rink.
Tuesday around 1 p.m., firefighters in Fernie responded to a call for medical help following the leak, fire chief Ted Ruiter said Wednesday.
When crews arrived at the Fernie Memorial Arena, they found a person performing CPR on a victim of the suspected leak, who was then relocated and tended to by paramedics.
Firefighters then entered the arena and found two more victims, but had to exit the building because of the hazardous environment, Ruiter said.
“Yesterday was an extremely difficult day for us here in Fernie,” Ruiter said.
He identified a chemical present at the scene as anhydrous ammonia, a colourless gas with pungent, suffocating fumes commonly used in refrigeration systems in arenas.
The leak forced the evacuation of an entire city block, after which displaced residents were moved to a reception centre.
RCMP is investigating whether there was a criminal element to the leak and are canvassing witnesses for more information.
On Wednesday morning, crews from across B.C. and Alberta arrived at the scene, including WorkSafeBC, a HAZMAT team from Calgary and the Ministry of Environment and Interior Health, Ruiter said.
Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano extended condolences on behalf of the city to the families involved, and confirmed that two of the three people who died were locals, among just over 5,000 residents of the city.
She requested that the media and public respect the wishes of the families that the names of those who died not be released.
“Fernie is a tight-knit community and I know we will pull together to support one another, as we have in the past,” Giuliano said.
She said the city is arranging support for the affected families and workers during their time of grief.
Paul Jewer, executive vice-president for Toromont, the parent company of CIMCO Refrigeration, said that while few details were available about the incident, he could confirm that one of CIMCO Calgary’s employees was among those who died.
Jewer read from a prepared statement, saying that CIMCO staff were in Fernie assisting as needed and the firm’s safety manager was on the way as RCMP and local officials investigate.
“In the meantime, we are focused on the well-being of all those affected,” Jewer said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the team.”
Jason Amesbury, president of the United Association of Canada Local 516 in B.C., which represents refrigeration workers, confirmed that one of the victims was a member of UA Local 488 in Alberta.
Reading from a prepared statement, Amesbury said the local’s “hearts and thoughts” were with the families of those who had died.
“The refrigeration trade is a specialized trade and a relatively small industry, an event like this deeply affect us all,” Amesbury said.
According to the Fernie Free Press, in order to work at the arena, each crew member must have a refrigeration ticket, received after completing the B.C. Power Boilers Operators Certificate.
“We will be looking into this situation and hope to learn all we can to ensure that future accidents like this become preventable. We all must work together extra hard to make sure that all workplace accidents are prevented.”
Irene Lanzinger, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, released a statement saying the federation’s thoughts and prayers were with the family, friends and communities where the workers lived.
Lanzinger said she expects WorkSafeBC to carry out a thorough investigation to find the cause of the leak and why safety measures didn’t prevent the deaths, while the RCMP investigates whether criminal negligence was involved.