SCOTLAND Scotland firefighters celebrated their new digs Saturday as they officially opened the first of Brant County’s three new fire stations.
The hall, at 83 Simcoe St., may look utilitarian but, for those working inside, the building meets the current needs of firefighters. New fire halls also were built to serve Onondaga and Cainsville.
“We had three very old facilities that were designed around very old trucks,” said Fire Chief Geoff Hayman.
“There was almost no room around the trucks and a real danger if any of them were moving.”
Now, each of the new buildings has three generous bays for vehicles, plus features that take into consideration the health and safety of the firefighters.
Where gear used to be stored on trucks, because there was no other place for it, the new halls have a special gear room with adjacent showers and a venting system.
“Coming from the old hall, this place is amazing,” said Scotland Fire Chief Jim Ritchie.
“There’s so much room to move and do our training and you can actually walk around the trucks.”
Each building also sports a heavy duty washer and a large training room, kitchen and offices.
At the opening ceremony Saturday, a fire hose was cut to celebrate the new hall.
Retired district chief Robert Hunter reminded about 40 people about the history of firefighting in Scotland.
Hunter’s dad, Charlie Hunter, looked after the village fire truck from 1941 to 1950 so firefighting was a part of the younger Hunter’s upbringing.
“I started tagging along with dad when I was in school until someone said, ‘You might as well join. You’re always here’.”
Eventually, Robert Hunter followed his father as district chief in 1997. He retired at 65 in 2017.
Completing the three new stations turned out to be a bit of a challenge due to the pandemic. Some supply chain issues cropped up and, at times, only two construction workers were allowed on site at one time.
But Brant Mayor David Bailey said the timing turned out to be better than expected since provincial pandemic funding took some financial pressure off the county.
“We used the same architect, same plan and same suppliers so it was cheaper to do things in bulk. And we were going to need each of the halls over the next few years anyway,” said Bailey.
The other new halls will open in June.
Onondaga’s station, at 734 Hwy. 54, will host visitors from 10:30 am to noon on June 18.
Cainsville’s station, at 17 Ewart Ave. Is opening June 25 from 10:30 am to noon.
Each will include an official fire-hose-cutting and plaque unveiling ceremony and tours.
The Onondaga event will also open the library kiosk that’s located at the Onondaga station and children are invited to come to participate in a craft with the library staff who will also be doing demonstrations and library card signups.
The library kiosk offers 24/7 access to books and DVDs for kids and adults.
Those attending the Onondaga fire station celebration should park across the road at Onondaga Park and a shuttle will be provided through Brant Transit.
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