(Arnolds Park)– Emergency service providers in the lakes corridor have plans in place for the closure of the Highway 71 causeway and bridge beginning this coming Monday, September 18th. Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth says they’ll have personnel stationed on both sides of the bridge for the extent of the closure, expected to last four weeks…
“For Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire Department, part of our contingency has been to set up and extra truck with medical equipment and we have responders on both sides of the bridge that live on both sides of the bridge, so we made a plan that regardless which side it is we’re able to get to those folks pretty fast by responding to the station and having the same equipment on both sides of the bridge is the first thing. And then the second thing is that the contractor has been working with us is going to have staff on site so that emergency vehicles, whether it’s police, ambulance or fire trucks can get through. The dispatchers will have the phone number for that person and then they’ll have the ability to open up those barricades for us to get through.”
Yungbluth says they’ve received assurances that barring any delays caused by weather, the causeway work will be done in a timely matter.
