Construction site emergency

Barrhead firefighters responded to an emergency situation at the town’s aquatic centre.

The call, which came in at 7:57 a.m. Oct. 24, was for assistance in stabilizing one of the Town of Barrhead public works’ Genie S-4 lift machines.

“The company [Clarke Builders Inc.] had a couple of guys who were working on the roof and their machine slipped off of the concrete they have at the back of the structure,” Barrhead fire chief John Whittaker said.

“They brought in a second Genie S-4 to stabilize it and we used our own tower truck to help. It’s one of those things where we were just happy to have the equipment on hand and be able to do the job properly. Nobody was hurt and that’s always a good thing.”

Whittaker said the tower truck is proving its worth.

“We’ve used it quite a bit over the last two or three days. It has been a heaven-send. I don’t know how we ever got on without it. If somebody were to say that they were going to take it away from us now, I think there would be an uproar,” he added.

Whittaker said the lift machine had the potential to tip over.

“The construction crew would have been in a predicament if they had tried to bring it down themselves. Once we had everybody out of the S-4’s bucket, the situation changed. The way it was listing towards the building, it posed no danger to the adjacent telephone poles, but Fortis Alberta was called in to assist us in ensuring the scene was safe for everybody regardless.”

Fortis Alberta communications manager Alana Antonelli agreed.

“Our crew was called in by the fire department as an extra safety precaution with the operation they [firefighters] were performing in Barrhead,” she said, adding the fire crew had to position their vehicles close to existing power lines.

“Our power line technician was there to ensure they were safely outside of the limits of the energized lines,” she said.

“We work closely with first responders in situations such as these to ensure the safety of all involved.”

The problem was one of rotation and counter-balance, Whittaker said.

“With the other lift holding the listing Genie S-4 in place, it wasn’t much of an issue.”