Ready for disaster

Although it’s been a few years since a train derailed in the area, the city’s fire chief says they’re prepared to handle major disasters.

An explosion rocked the small Quebec town of Lac-Megantic over the weekend after a train carrying crude oil derailed. The Canadian Press reported about 40 people have gone missing and five are confirmed dead following the massive explosions and fires.

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue Chief John Hay said the city has tons of hazardous material being shipped through it every day so it’s important that firefighters are prepared in case of an emergency.

“There’s no standard procedure for an event that big,” he said. “We would respond appropriately with our specially trained staff that deals with hazardous material and derailments and stuff like that. Scope and scale doesn’t make a lot of difference. It’s just more time and more labour. The tactics and equipment to deal with it is usually the same.”

The first step in dealing with any disaster is addressing public safety. The easiest way to handle that task, Hay said, is moving people away from the area.

Hay said that the city would work with the railroad company and probably call in other fire departments to handle the potential disaster. He said the city’s specialty team trains for big disasters two or three times a year.

“We work very hard to keep our staff well trained because we don’t do them very often,” he said.

“It’s important to train realistically. Sometimes we’ll do it with a citywide exercise where we involve the rest of the community. I believe the City of Thunder Bay and the Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue is as well prepared as any fire department could be for that kind of event.”