Fairmont Hot Springs Resort recovers

Safety and communication are key during a crisis such as the recent mudslide—and the work of many helped the resort to reopen

by Marie Milner — September 28, 2012

Flower beds and golf course in the foreground, mountains and blue sky behind

1 of 5Mountainside Golf Course at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is a jewel in an alpine setting. Following the mudslide, several greens on this course were covered with debris. — Photo courtesy Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

Close-up of mixed flowers in a bed, with wood-timbered resort building in the background

2 of 5Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in is shown here at the peak of its summer beauty. — Photo courtesy Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

Two men examine landscape drawings; golf course in the background

3 of 5Tom Altmann, golf superintendent at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, consults with Doug Carrick, Canadian golf architect. — Photo courtesy Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

Group in light purple summer shirts on the left, next to a group in white athletic shirts; sand and grass in foreground

4 of 5During the mudslide aftermath, the staff from Eagle Ranch (in purple) golf course lent a hand to the Mountainside Golf Course team. — Photo courtesy Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

From-above view of a group of about 50+ cheering people standing outdoors on a lawn

5 of 5Members of the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort staff give a cheer as the resort is reopened on August 3, 2012. — Photo courtesy Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

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In the afternoon on July 15, 2012, Adam Elwakeel, a lifeguard at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, noticed some muddy sediment in the hot springs pool. It was a busy Sunday afternoon at the resort, but there were other lifeguards on duty, so at around 4 p.m. Elwakeel and Tyson McCarthy, another lifeguard, made their way up toward the hot springs collection boxes to investigate. News of the massive landslide that had just occurred in Johnsons Landing, not far away, was fresh in thers minds—so when they heard a sudden grinding roar above them on the mountain, they turned and ran.

Back down at the pool, Elwakeel, McCarthy and the other lifeguards quickly evacuated the area as the surge of sound swept down. It was indeed a mudslide, caused by a heavy snowpack and abundant spring rain in the mountains.

Safety above all

“Our lifeguards called emergency services and made sure that people were marshalled away from the creek bed area,” said Marion Garden, marketing manager at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. “We’re really proud of our staff and the way they responded. Their training kicked in and they managed really well.”

The first priority was to make sure people were safe. The resort’s RV park lies on the other side of the creek bed and the access road to it was taken out by the slide, leaving about 500 people stranded.

“Once we made sure everyone was safe, it was imperative to get the road rebuilt so that we could get to the people in the RV park,” Garden said. “The roadway was re-established by about 2:30 on July 16.”

The damage and the relief

Incredibly, because this slide was contained by the creek bed in the canyon, no buildings at the resort were damaged; even better, there were no injuries to people. Usually Fairmont Creek is a burbling little stream that runs through the village of Fairmont Hot Springs; within a few hours of the slide, the creek had subsided to nearly normal levels. However, when the deluge of boulders, rocks, trees and mud exited the creek bed onto the resort’s Mountainside Golf Course, it spread out and dumped massive amounts of debris onto the course. The mess extended over seven greens and into a number of bordering backyards and garages.

Though the buildings at the resort were untouched, the water reservoir was destroyed and the holding tanks for the hot springs water were damaged and had to be rebuilt. With no drinking water available, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort had to be closed for 19 days while repairs were completed.

Amazing support

“Management and staff from other resorts reached out to us immediately,” Garden said. “It was amazing to realize that even though we have a friendly business rivalry, when it comes to a crisis we are all neighbours and we help each other.

Another positive was that Fairmont Hot Springs Resort's own staff were still able to work, despite the closure.

"We are so glad we were able to keep everyone employed through this time," said Garden. "This has been a great time for staff unity.”

The staff were kept busy doing the types of maintenance that are difficult to do when there are guests in residence, and some were deployed to assist with the golf course cleanup. In a heartwarming volunteer effort, the staff from nearby Eagle Ranch golf course came out en masse to help lay sod at Mountainside when the push was on to get the course reopened.

Garden said that Doug Carrick, a well-known golf course architect, reviewed the situation first-hand and gave them some good advice on how to use debris from the slide to enhance and rebuild the creek banks and the golf course.

“The community, the RCMP, the volunteer fire department, emergency services, government, RDEK (the Regional District of East Kootenay)—everybody has been fabulous,” Garden said. “And our health and safety co-ordinator really rose to the occasion.”

Have a plan

Garden talked about the importance of having a crisis plan in place, with a designated leader and a designated media spokesperson.

“Communication is really important,” she said. “Your staff and your guests need to be kept informed, and that information needs to be consistent and honest. Social media was a really valuable tool for keeping the public informed.”

Garden said that the total cost of the damage is not yet known.

“There are more things coming to light, and we’re working with our insurance carrier," she said. "We don’t have a final tally on the costs.”

With the support of the community and staff, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort reopened on August 3, empowered by a sense of teamwork and refreshed by an attitude of appreciation.