Following a year that saw two Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) trains slice through the Cochrane Labour Day Parade, organizers have implemented additional safety precautions for 2014.
The new procedures will include providing a map that will now include a warning that the parade crosses the railway tracks at two locations, and that train traffic does occur during the parade.
The second safety measure will be to place a minimum of three volunteers at both rail crossings to provide instruction.
Two of the volunteers will be positioned on the incoming side of the tracks, alerting parade participants to stay vigilant for trains, keep spectators away from the ‘danger zone’ and halt the parade when a train has been detected.
The third volunteer will be found on the other side of the tracks to play much of the same role with regards to parade and spectator safety.
“The new parade guidelines reflect today’s Cochrane,” said Brooks Tower, director of the Cochrane and Area Events Society (CAES), which runs the Labour Day Parade. “We have more trains than before, more parade than before and more people watching than before. New world, new realities.”
The Town of Cochrane’s manager of recreation, culture and the arts, Tracy Smyth, is pleased with the measures CAES has taken when it comes to parade safety.
“I want to commend you all for your quick follow up and regard for safety,” Smyth said. “We respect your attention to this matter and thank you for doing what it takes to keep our visitors and residents safe so that the parade can continue as a Cochrane tradition.”
During this year’s parade Sept. 2, the CPR caution barricade arms came down around the time the Shriners’ musical float was crossing the tracks. Tower said the Shriners had indicated that there was ‘a bit of tension’ during that time, and that he was waiting for a report from the Shriners on the incident.
The report CAES released on the new safety precautions for the parade indicated that the event averages 14,000 spectators and that Cochrane sees around 25 trains stream through the town each day.
