Guest guest Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Fire crew rushing to U.S. blaze stopped at border Updated Wed. Nov. 14 2007 10:32 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Quebec firefighters responding to a call for help from their American counterparts got a surprise at the border crossing. They were held up by border guards while a nearby hotel burned away. For nearly 40 years, members of the Lacolle Fire Department have pooled their resources with the Rouses Point Fire Department, which is in a town a few minutes south of the border in New York. On Sunday, the Anchorage Inn -- one of the town's landmark hotels -- caught fire, likely because of an electrical problem. As on other occasions in the past, the Rouses Point Fire Department sent out a call for backup from neighboring towns, including their colleagues at Lacolle. Crews from Lacolle hopped in their trucks and rushed to help. But when they got to the border, they were asked for identification, something that had never occurred in the past. " The only question I've ever been asked at the border is, 'Where's the fire,' " says Lacolle Fire Chief Jean-Pierre Hebert. Because they were dressed in their gear, most of the firefighters didn't have any form of identification. As a result, they were delayed about 10 minutes at the border before they could reach their destination. The Anchorage Inn on Lake Champlain had already been engulfed in flames for about an hour. Firefighters battling the blaze had hoped the Canadians would be able to give them a hand and provide relief with extra manpower. Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. Confucius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Oh dear! Jo , fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: > > Fire crew rushing to U.S. blaze stopped at border > Updated Wed. Nov. 14 2007 10:32 PM ET > > CTV.ca News Staff > > Quebec firefighters responding to a call for help from their American > counterparts got a surprise at the border crossing. > > They were held up by border guards while a nearby hotel burned away. > > For nearly 40 years, members of the Lacolle Fire Department have > pooled their resources with the Rouses Point Fire Department, which is > in a town a few minutes south of the border in New York. > > On Sunday, the Anchorage Inn -- one of the town's landmark hotels -- > caught fire, likely because of an electrical problem. As on other > occasions in the past, the Rouses Point Fire Department sent out a > call for backup from neighboring towns, including their colleagues at > Lacolle. > > Crews from Lacolle hopped in their trucks and rushed to help. But when > they got to the border, they were asked for identification, something > that had never occurred in the past. > > " The only question I've ever been asked at the border is, 'Where's > the > fire,' " says Lacolle Fire Chief Jean-Pierre Hebert. > > Because they were dressed in their gear, most of the firefighters > didn't have any form of identification. As a result, they were delayed > about 10 minutes at the border before they could reach their > destination. > > The Anchorage Inn on Lake Champlain had already been engulfed in > flames for about an hour. Firefighters battling the blaze had hoped > the Canadians would be able to give them a hand and provide relief > with extra manpower. > > > Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. > Confucius > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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