With a heat wave roasting the south coast, Vancouver firefighters have come up with a fun way to help the city cool off.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) will be deploying fire trucks with aerial ladders to three locations in the city where they will set up “instant water parks” to help kids (and kids at heart) cool down.
The trucks will be at Coopers’ Park, Walter Moberly Elementary School and Kerrisdale Park from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday.
“We’re sending aerial ladders to all of these locations, and the preferred method would be using the aerial ladder on a light fog spray as a misting-type of water pipe type event,” said assistant fire Chief Dave Boon.
“I don’t foresee the members using hose lines. We would be able to if the officer felt it would be safe to do so and would complement the aerial ladder spray. We don’t want to use too much water, of course.”
WATCH: Temperatures continue to soar in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley
Temperatures continue to soar across Metro Vancouver, with a heat warning in place, and the mercury expected to top 33 C in some areas away from the water on Thursday.
Cooler temperatures are forecast to arrive on the weekend, but things could start getting hot again Monday and Tuesday.
Boone said the fire department did something similar several years ago during a previous heat wave, and that the experience is a chance for people both to cool off and to get to know their local firefighters.
But if you were hoping to see something akin to a movie scene of the dog days of summer in Brooklyn, you might be out of luck: Boone says firefighters won’t be cracking open any fire hydrants.
“With the amount of pressure that comes out of that, around 100 PSI, it wouldn’t be as safe. And it would also use a high volume of water out of the hydrant all at once.”
Boone said the VFRS had actually hoped to do the water event last week during the previous blast of hot weather, but called it off when temperatures dipped.
He said if the event is successful and the city stays hot, they’re hoping to make it a weekly Thursday event.
The pop up water parks are family friendly and free to attend.
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