Nelson Police Department identifies officer killed in avalanche, says second officer still in critical condition

UPDATE 12:45 p.m.

The City of Nelson, B.C., says 43-year-old Const. Wade Tittemore was the victim of an avalanche Monday that rolled over him and a fellow member of the city's police department.

It says the second officer, Const. Mathieu Nolet remains in critical condition in hospital.

The statement from the city says Tittemore had been with the force for four years and before that was with the Calgary Police Service for 11 years.

It says Tittemore was an avid backcountry enthusiast who loved skiing, hiking and backpacking and moved to Nelson with his wife and two sons.

Nelson Police Chief Donovan Fisher says Nolet has internal injuries and broken ribs.

Fisher says the RCMP will be covering shifts for the Nelson Police Department and other departments from around the province have also offered help.

The Canadian Press

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UPDATE 12:25 p.m.

The Kaslo RCMP has provided further details on the deadly avalanche.

According to a news release, the two off-duty Nelson police officers appear to have entered the area by snowmobile and hiked to ski a bowl in the alpine, when the slide hit.

One of the skiers was rescued and given first aid by other members of the public who were in the area.

The second skier was later found but couldn't be revived.

"Thanks to the bystanders for their quick action in recovering and providing care for the skiers," said Corporal Harland Venema of the Kaslo RCMP.

The Kaslo RCMP continues to assist the BC Coroners Service in the investigation.

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ORIGINAL 11:20 a.m.

We are learning more about an avalanche that killed one Nelson police officer and injured another.

Kaslo Search and Rescue says it was contacted by the RCMP to respond to an avalanche Monday involving two backcountry skiers, near the Empire Cabin west of Buchanan Mountain.

Due to access issues in high-risk avalanche terrain, the team's winter response specialists and avalanche technicians assessed the area by helicopter before landing at the scene. A second helicopter was deployed with the regional long line team, along with a trauma physician from Nelson Search and Rescue.

“The rapidly evolving situation was aided by a member of the public who had cell phone service on the mountain. The level of seriousness was increasing throughout the operation as we continued to receive updates. Complicating the operation was the restriction of helicopters being unable to fly past daylight hours. A ground team was also sent to be able to evacuate all members from the mountain if necessary,” said Kaslo SAR.

“With the cooperation and assistance of Stellar Heli Skiing, Nelson SAR and the regional long line team we were able to provide medical assistance and long line the two persons involved to the care of BC Ambulance. Thank you to the rapid access that High Terrain and Kootenay Valley Helicopters provided that allowed critical timely response.”

The skiers were members of the Nelson Police Department. Unfortunately, one of the officers didn’t survive.

A statement issued by the Nelson Police Board confirmed that one office was killed and the other critically injured in the avalanche near Kaslo.

“The Nelson Police Board, the City of Nelson, and the Nelson Police Department offer their condolences and support to the families at this time. More information will be released in the coming days,” said the statement.

The two were identified initially as snowmobilers, and Kaslo SAR clarified that the pair had snowmobiled to the Empire Cabin but were skiing at the time of the incident.

Kaslo SAR is thanking five members of the public who were on the scene of the avalanche and aided the two officers as well as keeping rescues up to date on the situation on the ground.

The Avalanche Canada website said a size 2.5 avalanche had been triggered by humans on a slope near Kaslo on Monday.

Avalanche sizes are classified in a five-point rating that measures destructive potential. A slide with a rating of two is large enough to bury, injure or kill a person, while an avalanche ranked at three can bury a car, destroy a small building or break trees.

The killer slide comes just days after Avalanche Canada warned the snowpack across much of Western Canada was "weak," "scary" and "spooky."

"Some professionals are comparing this snowpack to 2003, which was one of the worst years on record for avalanche fatalities," said in a post on the website.

Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has released a statement about the death of the police officer:

"Our hearts go out to the family, friends and colleagues of the off-duty Nelson police officer killed yesterday in an avalanche while snowmobiling near Kaslo.

"On behalf of all British Columbians, we send our deepest condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts are also with the officer who was critically injured, and we wish them well as they begin to recover.

"We want to thank the agencies and first responders who have helped with the rescue operation. As always, they stepped up quickly to help, and we thank them for their efforts."

Farnworth adds that the government will support the Nelson Police Department and the City of Nelson in this difficult time.