So what exactly is homeland security protecting ?
CTV.ca
Fire crew rushing to U.S. blaze stopped at border
The Anchorage Inn burns prior to the delayed arrival of Canadian volunteer firefighters on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007.
The Anchorage Inn burns prior to the delayed arrival of Canadian volunteer firefighters on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007.
'The only question I've ever been asked at the border is, 'Where's the fire,'' Lacolle Fire Chief Jean-Pierre Hebert told CTV News.
'The only question I've ever been asked at the border is, 'Where's the fire,'' Lacolle Fire Chief Jean-Pierre Hebert told CTV News.
'Since 9-11 a lot of things have changed and people have got to realize that,' Rouses Point's mayor, a former fire chief, George Rivers said.
'Since 9-11 a lot of things have changed and people have got to realize that,' Rouses Point's mayor, a former fire chief, George Rivers said.
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Wed. Nov. 14 2007 10:32 PM ET
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.
However, it's uncertain if the building could have been saved -- delay or no delay.
Regardless, Rouses Point's mayor, a former fire chief, wasn't pleased that an inexperienced border guard slowed down efforts. But George Rivers says he understands that situations like the one that occurred Sunday are inevitable.
"Since 9-11 a lot of things have changed and people have got to realize that," Rivers said.
Since the incident, local fire chiefs have met with U.S. Homeland Security representatives to make sure border crossings occur smoothly, especially when crews are responding to emergencies in which every second counts.
They've been assured that in the future, firefighters will be waived through, if a dispatcher phones border guards in advance.
With a report by CTV Montreal's Rob Lurie
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