Shilo soldiers deployed to control avalanches
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/11/2018 (2682 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Troops from CFB Shilo have been dispatched to British Columbia — to shoot at mountains.
Members of the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery are once again taking part in Operation Palaci, a joint effort to control avalanches in Rogers Pass.
“The operation is actually led by Parks Canada,” said CFB Shilo public affairs officer Lori Truscott, “because they provide the expertise on the assessment of the snowpack and the threat to the highway.”
Once the threat of avalanches has been determined, the troops will then “literally shoot at a mountainside,” she said.
Avalanches can block essential roads and railways between British Columbia and the rest of Canada.
Troop commander Lt. Kevin Little is leading the first of two rotations, comprised of 13 members from 1RCHA. Artillery soldiers from bases across Canada take part in the operation.
The Shilo troops arrived in B.C. about two weeks ago and will stay between six and eight weeks until the second rotation moves in, Truscott said.
From November to April, the Canadian Forces sends two groups of artillery members on Operation Palaci, from both regular and reserve force artillery units.
Each group serves for about half the season.
The Royal Canadian Artillery has been key to the world’s largest mobile avalanche-control program for more than 50 years, the Canadian Forces says on its website.
Using 105-mm howitzer guns, crews fire from 17 positions along the Trans-Canada Highway. The guns are modified for precision firing from roadside platforms.
When each shoot is completed, the fallen snow is cleared from the route. It is then opened to traffic again.
Traffic in Rogers Pass in winter can reach 4,000 motor vehicles and 40 trains per day, the website states.
There is a high value placed on keeping these road and rail links open all year, since the commercial traffic between coastal British Columbia and the rest of Canada has been calculated in the billions of dollars.
» brobertson@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @BudRobertson4