FlashBang

I also laughed at the CBC report of the angst created by taking one of three fire boats out of service for one day! OMG how we survive? Your analogy of firetrucks, roaming our neighbourhoods, in search of fires is right on!

I couldn’t agree we you more! I have contended for years that the greatest danger to public safety on the Bow River, is the City of Calgary Fireboat. A danger to wading anglers, pleasure tubers and muscle powered watercraft. I have personally witnessed these crews engaging in reckless behaviours on several occasions, including running small side-channels, downstream, at speed, on a hot summer day. They only narrowly missed mowing over a family out tubing by executing an emergency stop. If the department is facing budget constraints this is an obvious place to cut. Even if this wasn’t currently the case, the value of regular patrols is dubious at best. I totally support the Calgary Fire Department and the brave men and women that work for all of us; however, I do not support the current operation and use of their fire rescue boat, on the Bow River Keep up the good fight!

Awesome post! And I do wish for some better behaviour in regard to the time people spend handing fish. I can’t tell you how many times I see some Instagram Hero taking picture after picture, doing pose after pose. And some of these guys are catching serious fish on a regular basis. They must know better but they seem to have little regard for the fish they catch beyond their value in garnering more followers. General rule; if you are handling a fish for longer than you can keep your head underwater, after sprinting 100 M, you’re taking too long.

The Foothills Fire Department then. Sorry, hard to see that on my iPhone. Why are they doing property recovery? Safety issue? Attempting to remove a hazard from the river, how’d that work out? I suggest that the Fire Safety Boats are one of the greatest hazards on the Bow River, particularly when they buzz downstream in side channels, full of tubers (I’ve seen them do it). Back to the matter of boat recovery from flowing waters. During recovery efforts elsewhere they tie off the front on the boat before attempting to remove it from the rocks (or even to pop one off the bottom of the river, as the case may be). Water is heavy, you can’t hold back a driftboat full of water? Hindsight, more like no vision.

Wow, I what’s up with that. Secure the Bow of the boat to a tree on the shore before you try to move it off the rocks. What is the “Calgary” Fire Department boat doing here in the first place, isn’t this outside the city limits? Are they now responsible for property recovery? IMHO if the Fire Department is having trouble finding places to cut their 122 Million dollar budget this boat is the first place to start.