Airdrie’s newest firehall opened July 14, and according to Fire Chief Kevin Weinberger, “we’ve made the full move over.”
He said the best part of the new hall is the access to the city core and the Reunion area without having to fight traffic.
The firehall is the new home for the crews who used to work out of the Main Street Station.
Ensuring there was no disruption in service during the move was of paramount importance to the AFD, according to Weinberger.
“Our moving company moved everything a day early, other than the apparatus and gear and things like that,” he said. “We basically had a switch over within about a two-hour period. We’d set up (the switch over) through our dispatch in Red Deer. They basically turned one switch off and turned the other switch on and we started going with our new response zones.”
He said the AFD introduced some new response zoning as a result of the new hall and the closure of the Main Street Station.
“They are very much the same (as they were). They’re quadrant-based. (We’ve) extended (some of them). All of them have more of a balanced area, balanced approach.”
Weinberger said the AFD won’t know how the new station and the new response zoning have impacted response times for a while.
“It takes about a month for us to figure (out the impact on response times) and to get an accurate number,” he said.
The new firehall is completely finished, according to Weinberger, aside from some minor issues – such as figuring out where to install white boards in the meeting rooms.
The building does not include any public spaces, however there is a phone in the entryway to allow anyone having or seeing an emergency to stop at the hall and alert the crews.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is co-located in the new hall. EMS moved into the hall a couple of days after the AFD, according to Weinberger.
“It’s purpose built so we built it this time to have the EMS crews there. It’s working out well,” he said.
The new hall is built right on Veteran’s Boulevard, adjacent to the Reunion residential area. Weinberger said the hall was built with the neighbours in mind. Fire trucks – as much as possible – don’t enter the major roadway until there’s no traffic and crews don’t operate the sirens until away from the residential area.
“We haven’t had any issues. A few comments that I did have is that people are recognizing that there’s a lot of activity from the firehall,” he said. “They’re just hearing more of (the sirens) on Veteran’s Boulevard.”
Eventually, Airdrie will have firehalls in each of the four quadrants of the city. The last to be built is slated for the northeast, near the Municipal Police Building on Highland Park Way. According to the Fire Chief, preliminary planning for that station will begin soon.
“In 2017 we have in our capital projects to start doing more of a site design with the land we have out there,” he said.
A grand opening for the new Veterans Station is being planned for later in September and will allow Airdrie residents to check out the new firehall.
