Balzacís new firehall, Station 107, officially opened its doors with tours, a barbecue lunch and ribbon-cutting ceremony, April 14.
The 19,000-square-foot station, which took 14 months to build and cost a total of $10.3 million, features three 90-foot apparatus bays and has the ability to house 12 firefighters and two emergency responders.
ìItís a state-of-the-art facility,î said District Fire Chief Garth Rabel.
ìWe will work very hard at making it a centrepiece for the community. Thatís what a firehall is supposed to be, itís the pulse of the community and this station is no different.î
Local dignitaries attended the grand opening of the firehall, including Ted Morton, Albertaís minister of energy; Wildrose MP Blake Richards and Rolly Ashdown, Rocky View County Reeve.
Neighbouring Airdrie will also benefit from another fire resource being so close to its borders, as Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown says fire services commonly pool their resources.
ìItís awesome for Rocky View,î said Brown.
ìWe do a lot of intermunicipal work with our fire departments and we help each other and support each other. As we develop, we will have more and more challenges. Itís great to have these services available and itís great to be able to work together.î
ìThe Balzac fire station is an excellent asset and addition to the community,î said Ashdown. ìWe will be better able to distribute fire resources in a way that meets the service demands for the Balzac and area residents today and into the future.î
Balzac-area Councillor Lois Habberfield says the station is basic, but includes everything the area will need to grow.
ìItís not a Taj Mahal,î said Habberfield. ìBut it will do what we need. Itís going to create heightened protection for our residents and with the development in east Balzac, the businesses need to know if there is a fire, we will be there to protect them.î
While the building was being designed and conceived, Balzac firefighters were ëbouncing around from temporary station to temporary station,í according to Rabel.
ìI look at the faces of the firefighters, they are the ones that are going to benefit from it,î said Rabel. ìThey have a place to call their own and train and live together. Somewhere where they can enjoy their career as a firefighter as it should be.î
