WATCH (above): Two more rescues on the North Shore over the weekend, for one person and three dogs, has rekindled the debate over whether people should be billed for rescues. Randene Neill reports.
Two different rescues on the North Shore this past weekend has rekindled the debate over whether people should be billed for being saved.
The emergency operations, which came on the heels of warnings about river levels having doubled, were for one woman and three dogs.
Trouble began on Sunday afternoon when a dog jumped into Lynn Creek and the owner jumped in after him. Due to the high water levels, Lana Sammut and her dog Dax both got swept away and stuck on a log jam down river.
The District of North Vancouver’s Fire and Rescue crew performed a swift water rescue of the pair, along with saving another dog stranded on a nearby ledge.
Sammut said she feels very lucky and knows “it could have gone way worse… I feel really lucky for a poor judgment call on my part.”
It’s the time of year when people need to be more cautious, said Assistant North Vancouver District Fire Chief Jim Bonneville.
“The river is running high, cliff edges, that sort of thing, you need to keep your dog close,” Bonneville said.
“We don’t want any mishaps, we got lucky two days in a row.”
Bonneville’s referring to a similar rescue done on Saturday to save a dog trapped on a ledge. Both rescues tied up the crew’s resources for several hours, which raised the question — should people be fined?
“That’s a question that’s been endlessly debated — whether there should be a financial consequence to these situations,” said North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Chief Victor Penman.
“Our focus as a fire service is we train ourselves to the risk inherent in our community, and we provide that service. The one argument that is posed is that if there are known financial consequences then people may be less likely to call for help. And that’s not what we want.”
Although the beauty of the North Shore is a big draw for those inexperienced in the outdoors, crews are hoping with the rising river levels, the public will get the message to be cautious.
~ with files from Randene Neill
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