Regina saw the mercury dip below -30 degrees on Tuesday morning, and that’s without the -42 C wind chill.
Despite the cold, plenty of people still have to work outside. An early morning collision at the intersection of Lewvan Drive and 1st Avenue North saw police, fire and tow-truck workers braving the frigid conditions.
The collision was relatively minor, but it took time to clear the busy intersection.
This wasn’t the only collision keeping tow-truck drivers busy.
Chris Wright is a driver with ABC Towing and said the company received too many calls to count. As of Tuesday afternoon, he’d been responding to a steady string of tows and requests for an engine boost since 7 a.m.
Additionally, the CAA helpline has an automated message telling customers they are experiencing unusually high calls for service and delays are unavoidable.
At the Lewvan Drive collision, police directed morning commuters. It’s a routine job that takes extra resources from the Traffic Safety Unit on exceptionally cold days.
“You kind of need double the resources because you need to cycle them out, which is typically how we deal with a situation like that,” Sgt. Ian Barr explained.
Going into a squad car to warm up isn’t just practical, it’s tactical.
“You may be called up to use your use of force options, which are on your duty belt. You need to maintain dexterity, which is the first thing to go if you start getting cold,” Barr said.
With frozen fingers, Barr said officers are unable to safely operate a firearm if the need arises. Additionally, the batteries in tools like flashlights simply die faster in extreme cold.
Firefighters also have their share of equipment challenges in cold.
Acting Operations Deputy Randy Ryba said numerous hydraulic systems on their trucks can have issues in the cold, but they’re routinely checked during freezing days.
Ice is another thing fire crews need to worry about on days like this. Extinguishing structure fires inevitably creates icy conditions in the winter, which can make an already hazardous job even more dangerous.
“It stresses the building too. It’s extreme so we have to be cognizant of building collapse, ice falling and the like. So certainly it’s a challenging situation,” he said.