Arena gas leak victim remembered for 'powerful contributions' before High River memorial

A memorial is being held today for one of the three victims of a deadlygas leak at anice rink in Fernie, B.C., last month.

Lloyd Smith, 52, was the town's director of recreational services.

Smith was investigating an alarm early in the morning on Oct. 17 when he and two other workers, city employee Wayne Hornquist and refridgeration specialistJason Podloski, were exposed to ammonia leakingfrom the ice rink at the Fernie Memorial Arena.

• 'Tight-knit community' mourns 3 dead in arena ammonia leak

Ammonia is used as a freezing agent in many rinks, but slight exposure to it in liquid form can kill. The three men died.

"For everyone who lost their life there and all of their families, it's just such a terrible tragedy. I don't know if there's any other way to describe it," said Sally Caudill, a manager with the Town of Canmore, where Smith worked for almost a decade.

'Powerful contributions'

The memorial service is being held at 1 p.m. MT on Saturday at High River United Church, in Smith's hometown.

The Town of Canmore is also considering a way to carry on the memory of their former colleague, Caudill told the Calgary Eyeopeneron Friday. Smith worked in Canmore until 2012.

"Lloyd made a lot of really powerful contributions. He really was really keen on sustainability," she said.

"He really helped lead the way with things like building assessments to try to understand where our buildings weren't as efficient as they could be."

• Listen to Sally Caudill's interview abouther well-respected former colleague:

Smith also led the charge to install solar panels in the town while paying attention to the small touches, like installinga fireplace in the rec centre to be a cosy spot for people to sit.

"He really did do a lot to build community while he was here," Caudill said.

Smith is described as ambituous and adventurous, and someone who always sought new challenges.

He had no shortage of qualifications, as an MBA, a certified energy manager, a 5th Class power engineer and a certified journeyman in heating, air-conditioning, ventilationand refrigeration.

In his spare time, he worked as a paramedic, flew planes, skydived and ran triathlons, Iron Man races and 100 milers.

His greatest passion, his obituary notes, was spending time and sharing his adventures with his teenage son.

"He definitely was not idle. He was an ambitious, busy guy," Caudill said.

WorkSafe B.C. is investigating the cause of the ammonia leak that killed Smith and his colleagues.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.