Vancouver fire department helps fill Kitsilano Pool ahead of planned reopening

Members of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services spent the weekend filling up the city’s beloved Kitsilano Pool, joining the effort to reopen the swimming spot for part of the summer.

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, which manages the facility, had previously said it would be closed for the whole summer.

But earlier this month, Mayor Ken Sim announced that after a second opinions from a local engineer and an outside contracting company, they had found a solution and would be able to reopen the pool for part of the season.

Fire crews were able to get the pool filled up in just 36 hours, a task officials say normally takes a whole week.

The department says it was able to utilize a special piece of equipment often used in emergency situations.

“It’s capable of pumping 3,500 litres per minute,” said Assistant Chief Ryan Hayes.

“It provides us the ability to build above ground water supply systems,” he added.

According to the city, the repair work being done on the pool is expected to cost around $3 million and crews have been working throughout the month to get it ready.

“There is quite a few plumbing issues that we found.They were fixed, concrete was replaced, the large crack in the pool was also discovered, fixed and now we're filling the pool,” said Matthew Pel of the city’s capital maintenance department.

Barring any setbacks, the pool is expected to open on Aug. 7.