North Van firefighters share tips for staying safe in the wet weather this weekend

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — As the rain falls on the city and the snow melts from the mountaintops, people living in Metro Vancouver need to stay safe in the wet conditions, says the North Vancouver Fire & Rescue.

Assistant Chief of Operations Jeremy Duncan equates the snow cap melt and heavy rain to a “fire hose stream.”

The primary concern for the department, he says, is to protect people and their property over the weekend.

“For the last five years of data coming, this is a unique situation, but it is the West Coast. We do get rain,” he says.

“This just happens to be the perfect situation around the atmospheric pressure, the tides, the weather pattern that we’re seeing, so we’re always prepared for it and coordinating with our partners on the North Shore as well as getting intel from the weather providers.”

He says some 30 feet of riverbank have been swallowed by water in his North Shore area, and it’s only expected to get higher over the next 48 to 72 hours.

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It’s best to stay away from trails near rivers at this time, since water conditions can change at any moment, says Duncan.

“We want to make sure that the drains are cleared, and that if people are enjoying the outdoors in this beautiful, wet weather, they’re making sure their pets are leashed, because obviously they’re unpredictable and they can get caught up in the river or run after a leaf or a bird or anything like that, which can be hazardous to them as well as their pet owners — and children as well,” he says.

Should anything go wrong, he urges people to call 9-1-1 immediately.

The public is advised to stay clear of the fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks during this high-streamflow period throughout this weekend. pic.twitter.com/Ts5uWPCf12

— West Vancouver Fire & Rescue (@WestVanFireDept) October 15, 2021

“Hopefully messages like this can actually stop it from being a busy season for river rescues. We don’t actually want to perform them. We’d actually rather people stay away from river’s edge so we don’t have to rescue you or your pets, so it’s an education piece and an awareness piece,” he says.

If you see full storm drains, unclog them and keep your pets on a leash, Duncan suggests. Otherwise, he says the best thing to do is stay safe and away from the water.