coldfront
06-06-2007, 12:36 AM
Swamp Saves Canadian Firefighter Run Over by Bulldozer
FORT MCMURRAY (CP) - A firefighter has the swamps of northern Alberta to thank after she survived being run over by a bulldozer on the weekend.
The woman was leading a crew of bulldozers fighting a forest fire south of the Suncor Energy oilsands plant near Fort McMurray when one of the bulldozer drivers lost sight of her.
The huge piece of equipment drove over both the woman and the all-terrain vehicle she was driving. But because the crew was working on top of muskeg - a swamp of water and vegetation - the weight of the bulldozer was absorbed and the woman simply sank into the earth.
''Thank heavens for muskeg,'' said Linda Parks, spokeswoman for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, which is investigating the incident. ''But there were a couple of horrified people out there.''
When the bulldozer drivers realized what had happened, they stopped their machines and found the firefighter trapped underneath the back of one of the bulldozers.
She suffered a badly broken arm and a damaged ear.
Because firefighting helicopters were already nearby, Parks said the woman was quickly airlifted to hospital in Fort McMurray. She was later transferred to the University of Alberta Hospital.
The massive forest fire was still burning out of control Monday, but officials said it poses no risk to the Suncor plant or the neighbouring Petro-Canada oilsands lease.
More than 60 firefighters were battling the blaze. The cause of the fire, torching more than more than 40 square kilometres to date, is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, hot and dry conditions in northern Alberta have led to a stop on permits for bonfires near Grande Prairie.
''We don't have a fire ban on at this point, but no more permits will be issued,'' said Crystal Burrows of Alberta Sustainable Resources Development.
Cooler weather and rain are expected to move into the area this week, which should help reduce the fire risk, according to Burrows.
''It (the fire risk) may recover for a couple of days but in the long-term it does look like it's going to creep back up there for next weekend.''
(Fort McMurray Today, Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune)
FORT MCMURRAY (CP) - A firefighter has the swamps of northern Alberta to thank after she survived being run over by a bulldozer on the weekend.
The woman was leading a crew of bulldozers fighting a forest fire south of the Suncor Energy oilsands plant near Fort McMurray when one of the bulldozer drivers lost sight of her.
The huge piece of equipment drove over both the woman and the all-terrain vehicle she was driving. But because the crew was working on top of muskeg - a swamp of water and vegetation - the weight of the bulldozer was absorbed and the woman simply sank into the earth.
''Thank heavens for muskeg,'' said Linda Parks, spokeswoman for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, which is investigating the incident. ''But there were a couple of horrified people out there.''
When the bulldozer drivers realized what had happened, they stopped their machines and found the firefighter trapped underneath the back of one of the bulldozers.
She suffered a badly broken arm and a damaged ear.
Because firefighting helicopters were already nearby, Parks said the woman was quickly airlifted to hospital in Fort McMurray. She was later transferred to the University of Alberta Hospital.
The massive forest fire was still burning out of control Monday, but officials said it poses no risk to the Suncor plant or the neighbouring Petro-Canada oilsands lease.
More than 60 firefighters were battling the blaze. The cause of the fire, torching more than more than 40 square kilometres to date, is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, hot and dry conditions in northern Alberta have led to a stop on permits for bonfires near Grande Prairie.
''We don't have a fire ban on at this point, but no more permits will be issued,'' said Crystal Burrows of Alberta Sustainable Resources Development.
Cooler weather and rain are expected to move into the area this week, which should help reduce the fire risk, according to Burrows.
''It (the fire risk) may recover for a couple of days but in the long-term it does look like it's going to creep back up there for next weekend.''
(Fort McMurray Today, Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune)