The West Arm Bridge, which crosses over the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, is known locally as BOB, or the Big Orange Bridge. It is a local landmark, making nearby places, such as the Ambulance Service, easy to find.
The service is operated by the British Columbia Ambulance Services (
BCAS) and is manned by paid paramedical staff who are on call part time while maintaining other jobs part time. This station is BCAS station number 421.
The BCAS was begun in the early 1970s to standardize staff qualifications, response times and ambulance availability in the province. Ambulance service had been available in much of BC since the early 1900s.