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THE
 PRINCE
 GEORGE
CITIZEN
 SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012
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Firefighters douse electric grass fire
 Citizen staff
 Prince George Fire Rescue personnel were called out to a grass fire with a twist early Friday afternoon, when they responded to a blaze in a freshly-cut hay field along a BC Hydro right-of-way.
 They were called to the scene near the digital sign on Highway 16 East by a BC Hydro crew who told firefighters a strong wind had whipped the loose hay up into a cyclone that touched the powerline overhead and sparked the blaze.
 The explanation left firefighters a little skeptical - until they saw it themselves.
 “I grew up on a farm and I’ve seen those twisters with dust but never with hay, so it was quite fascinating,” fire chief John Lane said.
 Once they gained access, the hectare-size fire was quickly extinguished.
 The crew was on the scene for exactly an hour, Lane said.
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
The Prince George Fire Rescue Service deals with a grass fire along a BC Hydro right-of-way by Highway 16 East Friday afternoon.
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 WATER SAFETY
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
 Two people, far right, were rescued by a civilian boat and Prince George Fire Rescue Friday afternoon on the Nechako River.
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                                                                 The Citizen returns Tuesday
    Two people were rescued Friday afternoon after running into trouble while floating down the Nechako River.
    They were found stranded on an island between the Foothills Bridge and the John Hart Bridge,
 Prince George Fire Rescue chief John Lane said.
    They were reached with the help of a Del Haven Estates resident who had a boat ready to deploy.
    The boat’s owner and a firefighter made their way upriver from Pozer Road and reached the couple.
   “Both the Nechako and Fraser are still running high, fast, and cool,” Lane said. “Life jackets should be worn at all times by anyone floating or boating on the rivers. Additional caution must also be exercised near river banks, where hidden erosion may cause sudden bank collapse.”
 Leadership shake-up at local pulp employer
  Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
    Canfor Pulp, the city’s largest employer in the wood products sector, has changed leaders.
    It was announced by the company on Thursday that Canfor Pulp’s president and CEO Joe Nemeth is stepping aside and Canfor president and CEO Don Kayne will take over CEO duties for both sides of Canfor’s corporate organization. While the company’s executive vice-president
 of operations, Brett Robinson, will become president of Canfor Pulp.
   Robinson previously held the position of general manager for Intercontinental and Prince George Pulp and Paper, both facilities based in this city.
   According to a Canfor statement issued Thursday, this leadership change came “following the decision earlier this year to integrate the management of Canfor Corporation [in order] to maximize efficiency and cost synergies.”
    Nemeth has agreed to remain involved with the company’s leadership transition through to the end of September.
    Nemeth assumed leadership of Canfor Pulp in May 2010. “The company appreciates his many achievements since that time,” said Kayne. “Joe has been an instrumental part in leading the company through successive profitable quarters and has put together a great team. His leadership and guidance will be missed.”
City manager moving on
 Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
   Derek Bates will be stepping down as city manager at the end of this year.
   Bates, who has held the job since January 2007, let council know Thursday and city staff was advised Friday morning before a statement was released publicly, Mayor Shari Green said.
   Other than to say “he’s made that decision for himself,” Green would not say why Bates decided to move on and he could not be reached for comment Friday.
   With five months left in the year, Green said he did give plenty of time to find a replacement and has indicated he would like to work with council and staff on the transition.
BATES
   “Council needs to sit down and talk about what our plans will be in filling that position,” Green said when asked what kind of person they’ll be looking for. “We’ve got our two-week summer break at the moment so many of us are away on vacation, including myself, so we will reconvene shortly and we’ll talk about what that looks like.”
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