Canada/Sept-Îles and Rio Tinto IOC emergency services join forces

At the request of the City of Sept-Îles, Rio Tinto IOC's emergency brigade will continue to assist the municipality's fire safety department. The mining company has a specialized team for rescue at heights or in confined spaces, which can come to the city's aid if required.

Rio Tinto IOC has a 32-strong industrial safety team, including former firefighters and paramedics.

The mining company's brigade is also trained in confined space and height rescue, whereas the city's firefighters are not. There are major constraints for fire departments," says Joel Sauvé, Director of the City of Sept-Îles Fire Department, speaking to Bonjour la Côte.

The mining brigade will remain under the direction of the fire department if they are called upon to lend a hand to municipal firefighters, he points out.

Unlike towns that can easily collaborate with neighboring fire departments, Sept-Îles is more isolated, notes Joel Sauvé.

Port-Cartier is our closest neighbor. But if we fight with Port-Cartier, we weaken fire protection in his town.

A quote from Joel Sauvé, Director of the Sept-Îles Fire Department

A win-win agreement

The agreement with the mining company has been in place since 2009, and was renewed at the city council meeting on July 14. [An agreement] that was due for renewal, but lacked a few details," says Patrick Bouffard, senior emergency services coordinator for Rio Tinto IOC, in an interview with Bonjour la Côte.

This collaboration is a two-way street, since the mine will also benefit from it. Working together and drawing up response plans [...] will enable us to better protect our facilities," he concludes.

The response plan that will be put in place as part of this agreement will enable us to better assess incidents. As a result, the municipality's fire safety department will be able to send the right personnel and equipment to Rio Tinto IOC according to their needs.

We have an industrial site that is still very large, very vast," adds the mining company's emergency services coordinator. Some parts of Rio Tinto IOC don't have hydrant coverage, and only the city has the necessary tankers.

The collaboration between the two brigades has already borne fruit in the past. Last January, municipal firefighters had to call on the Rio Tinto IOC brigade for help with the Ferland Park fire.

When I arrived on the scene, all I could see was a complete street corner going up in smoke. In my mind, it was the worst-case scenario," says Joel Sauvé. We were joined by 13 more firefighters," he notes.

He adds that the two teams worked together, which lightened the total burden of this intervention.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca