Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 04/99) - City administration has examined the underwater rescue situation in Yellowknife and is recommending the city "not upgrade its rescue service to include underwater dive rescue."

The recommendation was made even though the start-up cost of the service would be less than $50,000 and the per-year cost to operate it would be only $4,000.

The direction the city is taking on the issue has city councillor Dave Ramsay shaking his head.

"Once you get the equipment and training, we're not talking about large annual operation costs," Ramsay said.

"If the fire department has that capability, then Yellowknife will be a safer place to live. If we save one life, it would make it all worth it."

The information in the report admitted that since 1984, the fire department has responded to five water-related emergencies that took the lives of nine people.

"It is possible that an underwater dive rescue team may have successfully rescued some of these people," the city report stated.

Currently, the fire department handles surface water and ice rescue but doesn't have the proper equipment or training to rescue someone beneath the surface.

Because Northern waters are so cold, people who are rescued within an hour of going under can sometimes be revived. The phenomenon is referred by Dive Rescue International as Cold Water Near Drowning.

The city report suggests that bungling a rescue of this sort may leave them open to liability.

"Legal counsel advised that there is no legislative authority expressly authorizing the city to provide dive rescue services," the report said.

"Should the city decide to provide dive rescue services, it may expose itself to liability claims as a result of a negligently performed rescue."

Fire chief Mick Beauchamp contacted Dive Rescue International, which is an organization that has been training public safety divers since 1977, for input.

Dive Rescue education co-ordinator, Trevor Aronson, responded with a letter pointing out that liability can work both ways.

"With the understanding (the public has) of Cold Water Near Drowning... many agencies who failed to respond and act have now been sued successfully by the families of drowned victims," Aronson said in his letter.

"We, as public safety agencies, have a legal and moral responsibility to our communities to provide this type of service."

NWT Chief Coroner Percy Kinney said because Yellowknife is surrounded by lakes, it's only a matter of time before another drowning incident occurs.

"If anybody has an idea of who can respond quicker than the fire department, I'm all ears," Kinney said.

"Quick response is the key to saving lives. I'm not worried about body recovery, I can get any number of agencies to do that."

He said the liability argument is not valid and may put firefighter's lives at risk.

"Even if there is no legislation in place authorizing the city to provide this service, I would argue there's nothing in the legislation saying they can't," Kinney said.

"Whose liable if firefighters are not trained and not equipped for dive rescue? They're not going to stand on the shore and watch a person drown. That's what they're supposed to do, but we know the reality is they won't."

The Public Works and Safety Committee will vote on the recommendation and send their decision to council for deliberation.