Emergency response improvements are slated for Highway 63, or as it’s known locally, the ‘highway of death’.
The Province of Alberta and the County of Athabasca are investing a combined $1.3 million to ramp up emergency response on the highway, which has been underserved since last year.
In June of 2010, local emergency responders stopped servicing Highway 63, which put pressure on the province to take action.
“The funding will support the employment of four first responders who will help coordinate the volunteer delivery of services along this corridor,” said Hector Goudreau, Minister of Municipal Affairs.
A consultant will also be hired to develop long-term regional strategies for future improvement of emergency response in the area.
The funding will also support the installation of speed indicators on emergency response vehicles to alert drivers of their speed when approaching an emergency scene.
“These are innovative, community-driven solutions,” said Goudreau.
The new staff will be hired by the Athabasca County and will work out of the Wandering River facility.
“We are going to be hiring emergency service workers for Highway 63 in the next few months,” said Reeve David Yurdiga.
“They’re going to be on shifts, four days on, four days off,” he added.
The addition of paid emergency responders is going to significantly reduce wait times for incidents along Highway 63, according to Yurdiga.
“Our fire department has been under pressure for the past year and a half, so this will definitely alleviate a lot of issues that we have been experiencing,”
This announcement marks the beginning of a five-year pilot project, said Yurdiga.
“Going forward, we are going to look at other creative solutions and get industry participation on a financial level, as well as getting other municipalities such as Wood Buffalo, and Lac La Biche to become funding partners,” he added.
Highway 63, and specifically the section between Highway 55 and Fort McMurray, has earned its reputation as a dangerous roadway. Between 2005 and 2009, there were 36 fatal collisions along the stretch that resulted in 46 deaths and 33 injuries, according to Heather Kazuba, spokesperson for Alberta Transportation.
