Re-opened Kits Coast Guard base takes pressure off the rest of the fleet
Posted May 14, 2016 8:20 am.
Last Updated May 14, 2016 9:02 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Time to dig out the water wings, paddle boat and inner tube – it’s an ideal weekend for some outdoor aquatic recreation. And having the Kitsilano Coast Guard base open once again puts staff closer to the busy English Bay and False Creek.
It also takes pressure off of crews at the Sea Island hovercraft base says Coast Guard Regional fleet director Joanne McNish. “Basically the hovercraft will be able to expand its patrol area and start to work with some of the other communities. We used to keep them pretty close to home.”
It makes things easier for everyone involved in your safety explains McNish. “It’s a busy area and there are lots of times where all the partners in the Greater Vancouver area are engaged in some type of call. And sometimes the hovercraft will even work with the other SAR [Search and Rescue] partners in the area and of course this will now include the Kitsilano base.”
That base is now staffed by three rotating crews, while Sea Island is about to welcome back one of its hovercraft after a year-long overhaul.
