New $10M area fire hall moves ahead on tight council vote

Strathroy-Caradoc will allocate $10 million in next year’s budget to build a new fire station following a narrow vote at council this week.

Politicians in the rural municipality west of London voted 5-3 to allocate the money in the 2024 capital budget to replace Strathroy’s aging fire hall, despite pleas from one councilor to wait until the multi-year budget and concerns from another about a lack of space to build.

count. Greg Willsie took issue with the design and location, saying there’s no room to expand on the property, and questioned how council could put up the $10 million.

“I’m not saying we stop it. I’m not saying we don’t build it,” Willsie said.

“I’m saying we need more information and that I don’t believe we should keep going, spending money on a drawing, on a building, on a location, when we don’t know if it’s the correct one in the long- term future.”

Willsie and councilors Brian Derbyshire and Donna Pammer voted against the motion to allocate the funds, approve the location and direct staff to move ahead with a call for tenders. Deputy Mayor Mike McGuire did not vote after declaring a pecuniary interest because he owns a property near the proposed fire hall, and all other councilors voted in favour.

The money set aside would cover the estimated $7.7 million cost of building the fire station at 220 East Center St. at Zimmerman Street, the same location as the existing hall.

Staff will issue a request for tenders in October. If approved, construction would begin as early as January. It would be handled in phases to allow the current fire hall to remain operational.

Strathroy-Caradoc fire Chief Brent Smith described council’s approval as a step in the right direction, but cautioned that it’s not a done deal.

“It’s not a for sure thing. I’ll be excited once I know that,” he said.

The replacement of the Strathroy fire station was recommended as part of a 2021 study presented to council that found the building did not meet health and safety requirements.

The municipality bought and modified the Strathroy fire hall in 1975 to suit the fire department’s needs. Firefighters moved their trucks and equipment from the previous location in the rear of town hall to the new station.

Almost 50 years later, the department remains there, Smith said. “It’s sort of been temporary since then.”

The proposed fire station would give firefighters more room for training and allow them to address health and safety concerns, including proper gear storage, decontamination devices and cleaning appliances.

It would provide tools to better protect against the risk of cancer, the largest killer of firefighters in the world, Smith said. Strathroy-Caradoc fire department has two individuals battling cancer caused by exposure to toxins and carcinogens, the department said on social media earlier this week.

Smith said the new fire hall also is needed to keep up with the community’s growth and the rising demand for service. Calls to Strathroy-Caradoc’s fire department jumped nearly 40 per cent last year, and the municipality of 24,000 has grown14 per cent since 2016, census figures show.

“It’s a rapidly growing community, and (the new station) gives us the space we need to not only currently address the needs of the department but allows us an opportunity for the future as well,” Smith said.

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