Praise for first responders after school bus accident in British Columbia’s Cariboo region

The rapid response to the school bus crash in British Columbia’s Cariboo region that injured about 36 people on Friday was critical to the safety of those involved, according to a fire chief on the scene.

“I am so incredibly proud of the volunteer fire departments and firefighters who were on the scene and our other partner organizations,” said Roger Hollander, fire chief of the Cariboo Regional District.

Seven people were taken to hospital by helicopter and another seven by ambulance. One person was also killed in a later incident at the same location. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of British Columbia declined to provide any information on the deaths on Saturday.

According to the RCMP, the bus left the road and plunged down an embankment after traveling on Highway 97 north of 100 Mile House, about 455 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

The cause of the bus accident is still under investigation, officials said.

Cpl. Brett Urano, the division’s spokesman, confirmed that the bus crash was followed by a second incident in which a person was struck by a vehicle at the same location.

Despite the life-saving efforts of first responders, the person died, he said.

Rescue measures

The sixth- and seventh-grade students from 100 Mile Elementary and Horse Lake Elementary who were on the bus were returning from a field trip to Gavin Lake, about 90 kilometres northwest of 100 Mile House, according to Chris van der Mark, superintendent of the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District.

Nearly 40 of the students and four adults on board, including a driver and teacher, were “freed” from the scene of the accident, said fire chief Hollander.

“Many of these students were … removed … with the assistance of passersby and other witnesses,” he said.

However, when the fire department arrived at the scene of the accident, they found that the driver and a student were trapped in the bus and had to be freed.

Thanks to the coordinated response of 100 Mile House Fire Rescue, RCMP and volunteer firefighters, both people were successfully rescued, Hollander said.

Van der Mark said the school district plans to support the affected children and families.

“I think everyone is pretty relieved that the level of injuries in terms of some fractures, sprains and concussions is certainly not good, (but) definitely better than people have heard,” van der Mark said.

“I can’t express enough gratitude to our staff who were not only on the bus, but also to those who were nearby,” he said, noting that they quickly joined first responders.

Among the injured is the firefighter’s own child

One of the children on the bus was identified as the child of a firefighter, Fire Chief Hollander said.

“This volunteer (firefighter) had to be strong, obviously both physically and emotionally, to be able to focus and help the other children,” Hollander said of the firefighter who had to save his own child and others.

“It just shows how much commitment and dedication the firefighters, especially the volunteers, show.”

The fire chief confirmed that the volunteer firefighter’s child was flown to a hospital by helicopter and is recovering.

BC Emergency Health Services said 11 ambulances and seven rescue helicopters were dispatched to the scene.