The Fort Kent and Ardmore fire departments will soon both have a new place to call home.
The MD of Bonnyville and Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) had been brainstorming whether or not it was more beneficial to combine the Fort Kent and Ardmore fire halls into one, or keep them as two separate entities.
In the end, they decided it was better for both hamlets if they had their own fire department right at home, instead of somewhere in-between the two communities.
“We reached out to the firefighters themselves. It’s tough to man these volunteer fire departments as it is. Having a building in the middle and not actually in either of the hamlets just didn’t seem like it would have the draw for volunteers,” said Reeve Greg Sawchuk. “They might not have the same invested interest as if it were in the hamlet that they live in.”
The benefit comes to the area’s residents in more than one way. Not only will firefighters be close in the case of an emergency, but their insurance is also impacted by the decision.
Sawchuk explained, “By having the volunteer fire department right in their hamlet, for those living in that nearby radius, it actually lowers their insurance.”
The MD has budgeted about $2.5-million for the two fire halls combined.
According to Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) fire chief Brian McEvoy, the facilities will be built with the future in mind.
“We’re building something that will have a 30 to 40 year lifespan. We can’t build for today, we have to build for tomorrow,” he expressed.
The fire hall in Ardmore will be a combined building, similar to the one in La Corey.
It will have a two-bay fire hall, training classrooms, storage, and office space. In addition to the fire fighters, the MD public works department will also be utilizing the space.
They have planned to include a three-bay grader shop at the Ardmore facility.
“The one in Fort Kent will be an identical building without any grader bays in it,” McEvoy detailed.
Right now, the BRFA has the funding for the design and engineering, and the acquisition of land.
“Once the design and engineering is done and the land is acquired, then we can look at a construction schedule,” he said.
The MD is looking at purchasing land along the Iron Horse Trail for the halls, with this in mind, they plan on trying to “make it look a little bit better than an industrial building,” Sawchuk explained.
The two fire halls are getting up in the years, which is one of the reasons for the upgrade. However, size was also an issue.
“New equipment is coming in. In the case of Ardmore, the new fire trucks coming won’t fit in the existing fire hall,” added Sawchuk.
McEvoy said, “As the municipalities continue to evolve and grow, we need the future capacity to provide adequate fire protection services.”
