Construction of the new Colborne Road fire hall. November 14, 2022 Photo by Melanie IrwinConstruction of the new Colborne Road fire hall. November 14, 2022 Photo by Melanie Irwin
Sarnia

New Colborne Road fire hall taking shape

Construction of Sarnia's new nearly $7 million fire hall is making good progress.

Chief Bryan Van Gaver said the building, at Colborne Road and Michigan Avenue, is really taking shape after experiencing some delays.

"In the early days with excavation, we found a footing for a building that was buried about three feet in the ground, that no one was aware of," said Van Gaver. "So, we had to take a pause there and figure everything out. What it was and what the path was to get that removed."

Construction of the new Colborne Road fire hall. November 14, 2022 Photo by Melanie Irwin (Construction of the new Colborne Road fire hall. November 14, 2022 Photo by Melanie Irwin)

Van Gaver believes the crews will be able to make up for the lost time.

"So far they've completed the block work on the apparatus bay portion, and last week they started with the living quarters. Getting that framing started and that's going to be ongoing for the next few weeks."

Van Gaver said wood trusses will also be installed.

"Will it be closed-in by the end of the year? That's difficult to say. Right now it's tracking for early January."

Van Gaver said their project manager, Andrew Epp, has been identifying long-lead items to help combat supply chain issues.

"In previous years, for example, where things would have been ordered maybe a few weeks before they were required, if they can be identified as difficult to get, we can put in an early order and store those on site or in the immediate area."

Van Gaver said the new fire hall will have all the modern technologies.

"We are excited about it being able to accommodate a diverse workforce, whereas in the 1950s building that was virtually impossible. Also, firefighter cancers are a big concern of ours, so we've designed it so we have a progression. When they enter the hall after a fire, they enter the dirty zone, progress through that, to a clean area."

Van Gaver said this ensures they're doing everything they can to make sure the city's firefighters are properly decontaminated.

Construction of the new Colborne Road fire hall. November 14, 2022 Photo by Melanie Irwin (Construction of the new Colborne Road fire hall. November 14, 2022 Photo by Melanie Irwin)

He said the project is still on budget and they're expecting it will be complete next summer.

Crews will continue to operate out of the existing structure until the new fire hall is complete.

Chief Van Gaver defended the cost to Sarnia council in March, saying he didn’t believe the project could be scaled down to save costs, given current regulations.

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