After years of advocating, planning, and construction, a new $7.6 million fire hall has officially been unveiled at the corner of Colborne Road and Michigan Avenue in Sarnia.
The new 8,500-square-foot facility officially opened on Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new hall replaces the old Fire Station No. 3, built in 1954.
Sarnia Fire Chief Bryan Van Gaver pushed for this new fire hall and wanted to see it come into service before he officially retires at the end of March.
"To stand back and look at it, it's incredible," he said. "We've been talking about a new fire station here for several years and to see it finally get off the ground and to be able to time it with the end of my career, it's going to be a time in my life I'll never forget."
Van Gaver said it's no secret, firefighters are exposed to hazardous materials that pose significant health risks. To mitigate those risks, the new hall has been fitted with high-efficiency HVAC systems, a decontamination ventilation system, as well as proper decontamination zones.
Van Gaver said their gear is bagged on site and brought back to the station to be laundered in special machines before firefighters move into "clean zones" such as their living quarters.
During Tuesday's unveiling, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley noted the facility's health and safety features.
"If you go to the East Street fire hall, the [Clifford] Hansen Fire Station, you'll see a monument of the Sarnia firefighters [who] lost their lives to industrial disease and exposure," Bradley said. "So this moves us forward. We have a lot more to do with the other fire halls, to do the same thing, but it brings public safety to a higher level and it's a good investment by the community."
The station's vehicle bay also features in-floor heating, oil interceptors, and is dual drive-through to accommodate future apparatus needs.
The new hall also features separated bathrooms and living quarters.
"Private spaces for a diverse workforce was key in this build," Van Gaver said. "Our old station that we just demolished, it [had] one bathroom, one sink, one shower, and it's very hard to have a diverse workforce work in those conditions."
Within the living quarters are nine interior climate zones equipped with sensors. Other building features include energy-efficient lighting, energy recovery for all exhaust systems, and a rooftop heating and cooling unit with energy recovery.
The hall also includes a fitness room, and a conjoined kitchen and living room.
A unique feature included in the hall is a panic room, located at the front of the building. Van Gaver said a person in crisis can run into the vestibule and hit a panic button to lock the doors from possible threats. Doing so will notify first responders.
Next to the vestibule will be a community room. The space will also house a small 1921 antique fire truck.
Van Gaver said the service has about 130 personnel including administrative staff. Firefighters rotate through so eventually, all members will be able to work out of the new hall for a period of time.
City of Sarnia General Manager of Engineering and Operations David Jackson said the construction process took about 1.5 years to complete and was delayed by about six months. However, construction was still on budget.
Construction was funded in part by the Canada Community-Building Fund with a contribution of over $6.3 million.
The demolition process is still underway to completely clear pieces of the former fire hall, located directly in front of the new station. When the site is cleared, gravel will be scattered until asphalt and landscape work can begin in the spring.
Many community members, current and former city councillors, and city staff attended Tuesday's grand opening.
Van Gaver was also able to share the momentous day with his wife, two of his sons, and two of his grandchildren.
"I hope it's dear to them because it certainly is to me," Van Gaver said.
