The Canadian Coast Guard's recent statement that closing its Kitsilano base will have "no negative impact" on the agency's ability to respond to emergencies runs counter to an internal report conducted by its own rescue centre in Esquimalt that suggests an increase in casualties.
The report by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre pointed to concerns with the reliance on the Coast Guard's Sea Island station at the Vancouver International Airport and a new "inshore rescue boat."
"In the post-Kitsilano era, the [inshore rescue boat] station will generally take longer to get underway after regular working hours from Victoria Day to Labour Day, and [Coast Guard] Sea Island will likely take 20 to 30 minutes transit time to get to Kitsilano's area from Labour Day to Victoria Day," says the report, obtained by the Courier. "Although meeting national policy requirements, the additional time to respond may lead to increased casualties since the number of incidents is great in this area."
The Courier emailed questions to the Coast Guard Fri-
day about the discrepancy and left messages with the agency's communications director but had not received a reply before Tuesday's print deadline.
At issue is the federal government's planned closure of the Coast Guard's base in Kitsilano next spring and how the agency plans to fill the gap left by the base's two search and rescue vessels and 12 staff.
The rescue centre is located at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt and is responsible for planning, coordinating, controlling and conducting aeronautical and maritime search and rescue operations within Victoria's search and rescue region. The Canadian Forces work in conjunction with the Coast Guard.
Other concerns listed in the rescue centre's report include:
. The reliance on Coast Guard auxiliary volunteers to respond to more incidents, including a large number of suicides from the city's bridges. Injuries and disfigurements have been severe in previous cases. Use of volunteers for these cases may increase the turnover rate. There is no longterm counselling assistance for volunteers.
. From Labour Day to Victoria Day, there will be a lack of a primary search and rescue vessels from the Vancouver area when the Sea Island crew has responded to another incident, which could include Boundary Bay or the Gulf Islands. Sea Island's incident count hovers around 300 per year.
. In the post-Kitsilano era, it's likely the inshore rescue boat station's single crew, which will work eight hours a day with 16 hours on standby, may get fatigued.
. The crew at the Kitsilano base "bring forth a vast quantity of local knowledge," with many having been stationed there for decades. The rescue centre often turns to them for advice and information.
In an email to the Courier Sept. 18, the Coast Guard said it was "confident that once changes to the search and rescue network in Vancouver have been completed, there will be no negative impact on our ability to respond quickly and effectively to distress incidents on the water."
The Coast Guard also says it will rely on "emergency responders" and "any other vessel of opportunity," as outlined in the Canada Shipping Act to respond to emergencies. The response from the Coast Guard came after deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston presented a report to council on the Kitsilano base closure. Johnston concluded "people's safety will be at risk" when the base closes. The base is slated to close next spring as part of an estimated $900,000 cut announced earlier this year by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
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