An orange reusable flood barrier has been temporarily installed by Quesnel’s Fire Hall No. 1 as a precautionary measure.
The Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department (QVFD) began putting up the 600-metre tiger dam along the Quesnel River on Tuesday, June 21, with tiger dam specialists and staff with Emergency Management BC (EMBC).
“It was a bit of a training exercise to get this all set up because we haven’t dealt with tiger dams a lot in the north,” said fire chief and director of emergency services Ron Richert. “They mostly primarily go up in the Chilliwack and Abbotsford area.”
The stackable water barrier system arrived from an EMBC warehouse in Prince George upon the request of the City’s Emergency Operations Centre.
Read More: City warns residents to prepare for flooding as Quesnel River rises
Each 50-foot bladder holds approximately 1,300 gallons of water, replacing around 500 sandbags.
On Friday, June 24, Richert said Fire Hall No. 1, which was temporarily moved to the old public works building in the Johnston Loop earlier this year while its original location undergoes renovation, is at the most risk for flooding.
A flood warning remains in place for the Quesnel River.
“We’re protected if the water should rise,” Richert added, noting the flooding outlook continues to be weather dependent. “If we get substantial rainfall after that hot weather, then we could see significant rising water.”
Installation of the tiger dam was completed Thursday, June 23.
Richert suspects the end of freshet won’t be until the end of July, during which time the tiger dam will remain in replace.
“We’ve never used them before ever so it was good training,” he said. “For next time we’ll know exactly what we need.”
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Quesnel fire chief and director of emergency services Ron Richert stands by a recently installed tiger dam. (Rebecca Dyok photo — Quesnel Cariboo Observer)
