PROPAWE EXPLOSION Service station operator denies reopening charge PAY-N-SAVE gas station operator Robert Vandekerkhove denied he tried to open for business three days after the Sept. 25 propane fire at the North Vancouver station. Vandekerkhove, who leases the station from Petro-Canada, said he won’t reopen until the station has passed all the necessary safets inspections. In an interview Tuesday, spokesman Judy Wish, from Petro-Canada's head office in Calgary, had said Vandekerkhove attempted to reopen without the company’s permission. “To my knowledge he is selling gas,’* Wish had said. She added the company hadn't had a chance to do a safety report on the station. But Vandekerkhove said he wrote a letter advising Petro- Canada that he planned to reopen as soon as repairs on the station were completed, saying he did not tell them he was selling gas. ‘*We’re not trying to put money and cents in front of safety,’’ he said. ‘‘The foss of sales is not healthy for us, but we're putting safety first.” He said he — not Petro-Canada — is doing a safety report on the station. In a subsequent interview, Wish retracted her comments, and said Petro-Canada and Vandekerkhove are working in conjunction to en- sure the station is safe. Resident Blaine Scott said about the station after Vandekerkhove starled a power generator on the site Sunday. “We heard the generator start up, but if the man’s not going to pump gas why was his generator on and the barricades down?” Vandekerkhove explained the generator was needed as power for the electricians. “The reason the generator was brought in was to re-establish the electricity and to see the condition of the equipment that was there — to see if there were problems deeper down.”’ Vandekerkhove said he estimates it will be six weeks before con- struction can begin to make the station operable. “We still have (North Van- couver City) council to deal with, irate citizens and whether zoning vill stand the test of time.” a dozen residents blockaded Concerned residents plan to present a petition Monday to city council, protesting the reopening of the station. Vandekerkhove said he will be attending that meeting to answer any questions. MACMILLAN BLOEDEL AWARDS ews employee LL garners honor THE NORTH Shore News has received editorial honors in the MacMillan Bloedel community newspaper journalism awards. News managing editor Barrett Fisher took the second-place award in the annual contest’s hard news category. Fisher won the award for her five-part series (with assistance on the first article from former News editor Nancy Weatherley) on the North Vancouver City electioneer- ing scandal in November, 1985. NORTH SHORE News managing editor Barrett Fisher. The artictes revealed that the election caripaigns of four chy aldermen were being financed by Daon Development Corporation (now BCED Corporation) in return for support of a Park and Tilford Gardens shopping centre proposal, which had been defeated by council prior to the election. Daon denied any involvement, The first article revealing the scandal was published Nov. [6 —- one day before the election. Further articles chronicled the events after the election, including some council members’ protests for election spending accountabil- ty. And the final article in the series was published July 13, when former Ald. Rod Clark divulged information implicating high-level political figures in the electioneer- ing. Commenting on the win, Fisher said, ‘fam very pleased, because in the newspaper business you don't always know if the public appreciates the importance of a story in the same way a reporter does. Jo oam honored that Mfac- Millan) Bloedel perceived il oas a winner." First-place prize in) the hard news calegory of the contest went to Simon Bireh of the Castlegar News. Birch won for his article about a Ti-year-old woman sentenced for arson, The MacMillan Bloedel awards were set up to recognize excellence in journalism. 3 Sunday, October 5, 1986 - North Shore News NV District Fire “EM te fe NEWS pholos Mike Fire school MEMBERS OF the media got a chance Wednesday to participate in a hands-on firefighters training session at the Vancouver Fire Department Training Cen- tre. The event, sponsored by McDonald’s and Lower Mainland fire departments, was held in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5-11). Above, a Vancouver fireman rescues two media personnel from a runaway hose as they try to hose down a wooden fire target. Left, firefighter Gil Taultrout explains to reporters the workings of the hydraulic lift on one of the trucks, ept. unveils safety house NORTH VANCOUVER District (NVDFD) will unveil its fire safety house at Expo 86’s Kodak Bowl Monday at noon. The ceremony will cap nearly four months of work by Local firefighters, who volunteered their time and skills to construct: what will be used as a tool to teach North Shore children how to escape a house fire. ‘Tt (the ceremony) will be ex- citing for me," NVDFD Lr. Ken Fleming said Friday, “because once it’s unveiled we can start us- ing itand that’s the purpose of the house.’ Made possible with funding from SfeDonald'’s Restaurants and Beaser Lumber, and) community support from the North Shore News, the house will travel to North Shore schools and shopping malls and be used in conjunction with fire department instruction and information of what fo do and how to escape from a burning house. Fleming said instruction sessions will take about (4 minutes and in- volve groups of four to six children. The house, he said. is outfitted Fire Department By TIMOTHY RENSHAW News Reporter with special effects such as non- toxic smoke and strobe fights which will simulate fire conditions, Once children have been piven an initial lesson from a firefighter on what to do in case of a house fire, they will go through the house to test their Knowledge. ‘des the only way to provide the practical experience needed to back up what we teach them,"” Fleming said. Though an itinerary for the house has not yet been worked out. Fleming said he hopes most children will go through the house at least Iwice. He said children kindergarten to Grade 5 benefit most from the house, “Our belief is that if we can teach people when they are young, it will be something that will stay with them when they become adults." from will Monday’s unveiling ceremony will be attended by NVDFD Fire Chief Archie Steacy, North Van- couver District Mayor Marilyn Baker, McDonald’s Restaurants’ Bill Lam, Beaver Lumber’s Bill Mann, and News Projects Ad- ministrator Janice Silver. Brian Lord will be the emcee. Following the ceremony the se- cond annual Bucket Brigade Tournament will splash into action with various media teams, in- sluding the renowned News squad, competing. Helping to kick off Fire Preven- tion Week, Oct. 5 toll, the Bucket Brigade is a round-robin tourna- ment in which teams slosh leather buckets along a team line in an at- tempt to be the first to Til a 45- gallon drum. The winters of each division will face off at noon on Oct. 9. In addition to McDonald's, Beaver lumber and the News, other sponsors of the fire safety house include Oscar’s Wooderaft Lid., U-Haul Ltd., Steel Tube & Supply Ltd.. North Shore Parts tid., Westburne Electric Supply, Jordans Carpeteria Lid., Goodyear Canada Inc. and Quality Vinyl Sundecks.