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Garbage truck a 'complete write-off'
Rankin Inlet's only garbage truck exploded in flames on July 21

by Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 30, 2014

RANKIN INLET
Rankin Inlet's deputy mayor says the community's sole garbage truck, which exploded in flames on July 21, is a complete write-off.

"The insurance guy came to look at it yesterday," said Sam Tutanuak. "And from what he said it's a complete write-off, there's nothing salvageable."

NNSL photo/graphic

Firefighters in Rankin Inlet spray water on the burning remains of the hamlet's only garbage truck, which caught on fire July 21 while doing the routine garbage pick-up. Hamlet staff collecting the garbage were outside of the truck when the engine exploded in flames, according to Sam Tutanuak, deputy mayor of the hamlet. He said it could be up to four months, worst case scenario, before Rankin gets a truck to replace it. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo

An otherwise quiet Monday morning was interrupted by a loud explosion which had residents in the area close to the dump running out of their homes and businesses to see the garbage truck in flames. The three hamlet employees who were doing their regular garbage run were outside of the truck at the time of the explosion.

A full investigation on the cause of the explosion wasn't completed by press time, but Tutanuak said it was a mechanical problem in the engine that the hamlet isn't considering suspicious.

"The thing was eight years old, it's gotten around the town a lot," he said. "It's had different drivers with different techniques, and it's had lots of mechanical problems."

For now, the hamlet is having to use its own pickup trucks to collect garbage throughout the community, and Tutanuak said they will try and keep it as close to possible as the regular garbage pickup.

"Normal garbage operation is going to continue, but it's going to be a lot more trips to the dump for the guys," he said. "There is probably going to be a day or two delay because of the smaller vehicles, but we're going to try to do as normal as possible and try to keep it normal."

Administration is working with Hakku Services, a company which has a large truck that could be used to make the lives of Rankin garbage collectors easier until the new truck arrives via freight in September.

"They have a large vehicle that we can modify to make due," he said. "Unfortunately, the construction of the new truck won't be complete in time for the August deadline for the ship so it won't come in until September - but it'll definitely be here in September."

The new truck will come with new rules for garbage collectors, including an obligation to regularly maintain the vehicle and keep a safety checklist - something the use of the old truck was lacking.

"The hamlet will be working on a new safety checklist for the truck," Tutanuak said. "There absolutely will be a checklist."

He said the purchase of the new truck, the price of which Tutanuak didn't immediately have available, was approved by the hamlet council in early spring, and the plan was to phase out the old truck.

"We were just going to slowly phase it off and use it just for emergency type things, but mechanics sped up its retirement a little bit," said Tutanuak.

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