Roberts Creek Volunteer Fire Department had a showcase week recently, responding to three different motor vehicle incidents involving unusual circumstances.
Two of the incidents had vehicles crashing through BC Hydro poles and the third included a search for the driver which almost resulted in Search and Rescue being called in.
Pat Higgins, fire chief at Roberts Creek Volunteer Fire Department (RCVFD), said as of April 30 his department had seen 54 callouts, which he said follows the constant increase that all departments are experiencing.
3000 Sunshine Coast Highway
The first incident was on April 22, at roughly 5:40 p.m. when a driver hit the concrete barrier at the 3000 block of Sunshine Coast Highway and swerved hitting a BC Hydro pole and snapping it.
Higgins said that the driver was critically injured and was transported to Cliff Gilker Park where they were airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital.
Witnesses reported the car contacting the barrier and being forced into oncoming traffic, where it spun 90 degrees, causing the car to slide sideways into the pole, Higgins said.
The highway was closed for approximately three hours, 11 crew members from the department attended the scene, as well as BC Emergency Health Services, BC Hydro and RCMP.
When Higgins arrived on the scene, he said half the pole was lying on the highway with cables lying around, which was quickly identified as a support cable, with no voltage.
Holding the mental health of first responders in the highest regard, Higgins explained that after critical incidents such as this, they take time to speak to the responders involved.
Largo area
The second incident was at around 3 a.m. April 28, near Largo Road, where a vehicle smashed through a BC Hydro poll.
When Higgins arrived at this incident, the upper section of the pole was hanging in the air, being hoisted by power lines. He said it was fortunate that when the pole came down, the three high-voltage cables released from the crossbar, avoiding bringing live cables down into the car, which could have been “catastrophic.”
The driver got themselves out of the vehicle and was released at the scene after being checked on by paramedics.
Seven first responders attended the scene and the highway was closed briefly while any threat of an electrical hazard was assessed.
Neilson Road
While RCVFD was attending the second incident, they received a call out for another incident nearby on the highway, where a vehicle had rolled over onto its top and was in a ditch – with no driver to be found.
Higgins said his team used a thermal imager to determine how many people had been in the car and started searching the surrounding area.
Managing multiple incidents at once, Higgins said the department moved some of the responders from the second crash to the third, and was able to manage both.
After the fire department cleared the area, the driver was later found by RCMP.
RCMP did not respond to Coast Reporter request for comment.
A page went out to ground Search and Rescue, however the driver was located before it was activated, Higgins said.
He applauded the efforts of his team saying that it speaks to the first-rate training program they have and is a demonstration of their dedication.
With the department seeing this many callouts already, Higgins predicts they will see over 200 this year.
Higgins said that it's rare for his department to respond to multiple incidents at once, but that they’re ready for it.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
