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Vancouver highlights arena safety after fatal ammonia leak in Fernie

Vancouver has a number of safety protocols in place around the refrigeration units used in its ice rinks. In light of the tragedy in Fernie, B.C.

Vancouver has a number of safety protocols in place around the refrigeration units used in its ice rinks.

In light of the tragedy in Fernie, B.C. Tuesday where three people died in a suspected ammonia leak at Fernie Memorial Area, Vancouver Park Board invited the media to Hillcrest Community Centre to see and hear about safety protocols in place at local arenas.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Fernie today, the victims and their families, and Fernie Memorial Arena staff,” said Donnie Rosa, director of recreation. “Any time something like this happens in a public facility we all feel it. Our hearts go out to them.”

Three people, two civic employees and one contractor, died Tuesday after a suspected ammonia leak. The arena was closed to the public at the time while the rink’s refrigeration system underwent emergency repairs. A local state of emergency was declared while haz-mat teams were brought in. WorkSafeBC, the B.C. Coroner’s Service and the Ministry of the Environment were also on scene.

Ice rink refrigeration systems fall under the provincial government’s Technical Safety Authority of B.C., which sets standards, issues permits and inspects rinks.

Most refrigeration systems use ammonia. It is used in its liquid form but when released it turns into a noxious gas, which can cause fluid to accumulate in the lungs if inhaled.

“We have looked at systems that require less ammonia, and I know that’s a common practice and certainly safety is our standard so if there are other systems that are available we are always investigating and looking into the best possible measures for safety for our patrons,” Rosa said.

“Regulations stipulate that trained staff be on site during operation of the refrigeration system, that all rinks are required to have an alarm monitoring system and emergency procedures in place,” Rosa said. “And that’s to detect and respond quickly to a breach in the system. So prevention is our focus.”

Vancouver Park Board operates ice rinks at eight of its facilities — Hillcrest, Trout Lake, Kitsilano, Kerrisdale, Killarney, Sunset, Britannia and West End.

The systems at Hillcrest, Killarney and Trout Lake have been replaced in recent years, she said.

“Kerrisdale, Kitsilano, Sunset all the other facilities we go in regularly and make sure that they’re updated and maintaining the standards,” she said, adding that every facility must meet standards set by WorkSafeBC and the Technical Safety Authority of B.C.

The system is kept locked behind several doors and can only be accessed by authorized personnel. When checking the system, or carrying out repairs, employees are outfitted with a personal facemask.

“We actually step above and beyond the minimum standards and each person has a personal ammonia detector that they wear while in the room,” Rosa said.  

The park board has engineers on staff at each facility, Rosa said, and cannot open unless one of the engineers is on site.

“We have some high tech equipment,” Rosa said. “We do a manual check every three hours but we are tied into an alarm monitoring system so it’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week we know what’s going on with our system.”

If there is a leak, the alarm system is triggered, a blue light will flash and the facility’s evacuation procedures are put into action.

The emergency plans are practiced on an annual basis, Rosa said.

“Just to make sure that, especially if we have summer camps and stuff, we want to make sure that young kids can get out of the facility quickly,” she said.

The system is also reviewed regularly, Rosa said. In 2014, an extensive review of the ice rink ammonia plant operations was conducted. As a result, the park board developed a unique set of ice rink ammonia plant safety manuals were created.

Former Olympian and Canadian figure skating champion Karen Magnussen suffered damage to her respiratory system in 2011 when she walked into an ammonia gas leak at the North Shore Winter Club. The gas burned her lungs and vocal chords.

An incident report by the B.C. Safety Authority following the incident blamed the leak on a failing condenser pump controller and operator error due to a lack of training and knowledge.

@JessicaEKerr