Photo by Whitehorse Star
REPLACEMENT REQUIRED – This City of Whitehorse fire truck, involved in a four-vehicle collision on Jan. 22, has been written off by the insurance company. Lisa Gallant-McRobb, the 2018 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous queen, was seriously hurt in the accident.
The city will spend $365,000 on a fire truck to replace the tanker written off after a collision in January.
The city will spend $365,000 on a fire truck to replace the tanker written off after a collision in January.
The Jan. 22 collision seriously injured Lisa Gallant-McRobb, the 2018 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous queen.
Council members approved the expense at their meeting Monday, along with opting to sole-source the contract to Westvac Industrial Ltd., which had the lowest price of the only two fire trucks available in the country.
While the 2017 Westvac M4 fire truck is priced at $298,000, the other truck – a 2018 Fort Garry Crusader – would be $311,000. Modifications will be required, involving an additional cost, for whatever vehicle is purchased.
Richard Graham, the city’s manager of operations explained it’s important to replace the 2002 truck as soon as possible.
“As time is of the essence in replacing this tanker, research into replacement options and timelines began immediately.
“A typical fire department emergency response unit is produced specifically for a client and delivered in 12 months or more after order and final approval of shop drawings,” Graham stated in his report to council.
“A public process would likely take between 18 and 24 months from budget approval to delivery of this particular unit.”
Until the truck is in Whitehorse, the city has secured a rental tanker from the territory’s fire marshal’s office for nine months – with a condition that the rental can be cancelled with five days’ notice. The rental is being provided to the city for $1.
The purchase through Westvac came after insurance wrote off the fire truck involved in the collision.
Gallant-McRobb had been driving her car when it became involved in the collision at the intersection of the Alaska Highway and Robert Service Way.
Gallant-McRobb told the Star in late January she was glad to have emerged from the collision alive.
The fire truck had been proceeding to a call in the Whitehorse Copper subdivision.
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Comments (12)
Up 2 Down 7
No Secrets Here on Mar 18, 2019 at 6:20 pm
No one his hiding anything. Have you ever been in a car accident? The claims process can take a long time while being investigated. That is the process in every accident involving a claim. It’s complicated and it’s the business of “insurance’. Of course the City can’t comment until the investigation is complete. That’s standard practice across the nation. No need to place blame. It was an “accident” that can happen to anyone.
Up 6 Down 2
HundredsAndThousands on Mar 18, 2019 at 3:21 pm
Funds through for a new vehicle , ah what a grand day. Oh wait, I meant to say 'a grand a day'. Yikes !
Up 8 Down 2
My Opinion on Mar 17, 2019 at 9:19 pm
Just Crickets is all you hear on this. Me thinks something must be wrong. Just Say'in, seems like damage control.
Up 16 Down 2
jean on Mar 16, 2019 at 4:04 pm
Why doesn't this intersection have a system that turns all lights red when the sound of an emergency siren is sensed? If this intersection is supposed to have such a system then why wasn't it working correctly? There are a lot of unanswered questions about this accident that are not being reported as they should be.
Up 14 Down 2
'became involved'? on Mar 15, 2019 at 4:51 pm
Gallant, 'became involved in a collision'? She was hit full on by a fire truck that was going through a red light at a fairly high speed! She did not 'become involved', she was hit!
Was she listening to music? Text messaging? There was no suggestion of that. For sure she did not notice the fire truck coming and no doubt the fire truck had the expectation that everyone was going to stop for it, but one car didn't.
We need a light system that turns lights red for fire trucks maybe, but failing that, the onus is still on the firetruck to make sure it has been seen and heard, and that cars have stopped, if there is traffic at a red light they plan to go through.
Up 13 Down 4
Patti Eyre on Mar 15, 2019 at 1:33 pm
Once again Josie you are trying to channel your inner poet laureate but falling quite short, it's sad, but like the lord says, in His house there are many rooms!
Up 11 Down 6
North_of_60 on Mar 14, 2019 at 9:00 pm
So, does this mean the taxpayers have to pay for it because the CoW employee was at fault and insurance won't cover the replacement?
Up 6 Down 13
Josey Wales on Mar 14, 2019 at 5:02 pm
Jared...and?
Clearly I upset you with my POV.
One of the Kings merry persons?
Perhaps pass on by if too triggered, by me or the effects of public school?
Since you are so savvy at trends, you already know just how outta #&%*’s
I am for willfully ignorant sheep I prezoom (int)?
...completely, as they are Baaa Baaaaad.
Up 22 Down 7
Jared on Mar 14, 2019 at 4:20 pm
I love it, all the two-bit want-to-be lawyers/politicians are coming out of the wood work for this. North of 60 is perpetually looking for any government villains he can find, and Josey Wales only recently stopped referring to himself in the third person, long enough to take his continual gripe at Dan Curtis in which ever direction it needs.
I don’t know the insurance industry or how things work in the government, but I think it’s fair to say neither do these clowns. In private industry, you don’t say a peep until the investigation is complete and the lawyers have had their battle. For the company I work, we’ve had accidents in Alberta where the lawsuits ranged in the millions. For the sake of both sides (regardless of fault) I hope they both stay quiet and let the lawyers do their job, and not take advice from the Whitehorse Star peanut gallery.
Up 9 Down 17
Josey Wales on Mar 14, 2019 at 1:37 pm
Hey North...true that! Our BBBBlooooAATED CoW ruling class and their comrades in administrative appointments owe us zero explanation for anything that transpired on our dime, or so their entitlement and collective agreements suggest.
Everything is deep secret, and “internal” not for us mere peasants to opine on.
Just look at the freakout with my mere suggested VIN removal, if said asset have been written off.
Attention potential idiots, I do know both how the insurance industry and more importantly....this riddled entitlement ...we call our civic “striving for perfection” team operates.
There is far more to this “collision” than is currently being peddled.
Driver experience?
Lights on, sirens on? Booze and drug test CoW staff post serious and expensive collision?
I have partied with firefighters till the wee hours, they too get hangovers and often do drugs...seen it
Any traffic citation to anyone, do we still have a traffic division at M?
Up 15 Down 4
Curious on Mar 14, 2019 at 1:07 pm
Why is the City Paying? Would it not be the person who caused the accident that should pay? Unless the fire truck failed to use its lights and siren's? If that is the case, I think that should be reported.
Up 20 Down 5
North_of_60 on Mar 13, 2019 at 7:02 pm
The CoW still has not explained how their truck was involved in the accident, and their level of responsibility for what happened. The cover-up makes the CoW appear negligent.