The governments of Canada and British Columbia announced funding to upgrade ten fire halls across the province.
The Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are investing over $8.8 million in these projects through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s new COVID-19 Community Resilience stream. Canada is contributing over $7.1 million, and B.C. is contributing more almost $1.7 million.
“Our firefighters work hard each and every day to keep us safe, and we have to do our part to ensure they have the tools necessary to safely manage fires in their communities,” stated Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “This infrastructure funding a positive step forward in greater public safety around the province.”
Among these projects, the City of Quesnel will undergo renovations to bring the facility up to current building and accessibility codes and standards, and increase the lifespan of the building by 15 to 20 years. These upgrades will provide a change room for female firefighters, increase the size of apparatus bays, increase public safety, decrease occupational hazards, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
In the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, the deteriorating foundation of the fire hall building will be replaced. The existing foundation condition puts the fire hall and public works building at risk of further damage and limited operations. Once the structural foundation is replaced, the building will be better able to provide continued service operations.
In Thompson-Nicola, both the Vavenby and Blackpool Fire Halls will undergo construction of an additional apparatus bay to safely house a Structural Protection Unit (SPU), a large storage unit for fire protection equipment. These types of SPUs help respond more quickly and effectively, and to help protect assets such as individual homes, cabins, ranches and other businesses.
“More efficient and safer fire hall infrastructure can help reduce emergency response time, which can save lives,” added Ken Hardie, MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells. “Canada’s Infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates good jobs across Canada, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”
Project Information
| Community | Project Name | Project Details | Federal
Funding |
Provincial
Funding |
| Ashcroft | Ashcroft – Ashcroft Fire Department Hall Retrofit | Expand the apparatus bay, renovate changing areas, and upgrade fire station to improve emergency response times. | $550,887 | $137,722 |
| Harrison Hot Springs | Harrison Hot Springs – Fire Hall Renovation | Expand and renovate the facility to meet COVID-19 and seismic requirements. | $600,000 | $150,000 |
| Hixon | Hixon Volunteer Fire Department Society – Hixon Fire Hall Upgrade | Expand the fire station to accommodate operational needs in accordance with COVID-19 protocols. | $831,926 | $207,982 |
| Lake Cowichan | Cowichan Valley – Mesachie Lake Fire Hall Retrofit | Renovate the fire hall including installing new HVAC system plumbing, electrical and mechanical works, installing flooring, as well as upgrading the kitchen, bathroom, and roof to reduce energy usage and extend service life of the fire hall. | $280,000 | $70,000 |
| Northern Rockies | Northern Rockies Regional Municipality – Fire Hall & Public Works Structural Foundation Replacement | Replace the structural foundation of the building to ensure continued operations of the fire hall and public works building. | $1,437,836 | $359,459 |
| Port McNeill | Port McNeill – Fire Hall Upgrades | Upgrade the fire station including replacing the roof, flooring, and bay door as well as installing a generator to help minimize response time in emergencies. | $271,138 | $67,785 |
| Quesnel | Quesnel – Fire Hall #1 Upgrades | Renovate the fire hall to increase seismic structural stability, bring the facility up to current building and accessibility codes and standards, provide a changing room for female firefighting volunteers, increase the size of the apparatus bays, decrease occupational hazards and lower GHG emissions. | $2,022,912 | $505,728 |
| Seabird Island Indian Band, First Nations of
|
Seabird Island Band – Fire Hall Addition and Renovation
|
Renovate and expand the Seabird Island Fire Hall to provide space to properly physically distance and accommodate modern fire apparatus in the current fleet. Addition of washroom, shower and training space will better allow the fire department to follow COVID-19 protocols. |
$446,890
|
$0 |
| Thompson-Nicola | Thompson-Nicola – Vavenby Volunteer Fire Hall Addition | Construction of an additional apparatus bay at the Vavenby Fire Hall to store fire protection equipment. | $385,252 | $96,313 |
| Thompson-Nicola | Thompson-Nicola – Blackpool Volunteer Fire Hall Addition | Construct an additional apparatus bay at the Blackpool Fire Hall to store fire protection equipment. | $316,252 | $79,063 |
SOURCE Infrastructure Canada
Featured image: Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
