Members of the Beaverlodge Fire Department unveil the sign, marking the future home of the new fire hall (Photo: Shaun Penner)

By Shaun Penner

Beaverlodge

Site for new Beaverlodge Fire Hall unveiled Monday

Aug 12, 2019 | 7:26 PM

A new fire station is coming to the Town of Beaverlodge.

The new fire hall site was unveiled Monday afternoon, which is located along First Avenue in Beaverlodge at the former UFA cardlock location.

Many local dignitaries were on hand for the unveiling, including Mayor Gary Rycroft, who says this new fire station is very exciting for the town.

“It means moving to the future and building a facility that we can be proud of and work out of for the next 75-80 years, whatever it takes,” said Rycroft.

For the fire department itself, it means even more. Fundraising efforts on behalf of all fire fighters in the community have been on-going for nearly seven years now, with most the funding for the estimated $1 million project being provided through grants and donations.

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Notable grants include $500,000 from the County of Grande Prairie, a $100,000 donation from Canadian Natural Resources and a donation from UFA, as well. The remainder will be paid by the fire department and the Town of Beaverlodge.

The news brought a lot of emotion to Fire Chief Stan Metcalfe, who has been working so hard to make this dream a reality.

“It’s emotional for me. I served a number of years as the President of the Fire Fighters Association, so to see first-hand the work this crew puts in to make a day like today become reality, is almost overwhelming,” said Metcalfe. “So, we are absolutely ecstatic about what today means to us.”

With the amount of community backing to replace the nearly 50-year-old fire hall, Metcalfe is truly grateful for all of the community support.

“We’re from the community, each and every one of us, we are a part of the community and it is great to be supported,” said Metcalfe. “It shows us that the work we’re doing is important to the community, so it is very much appreciated.”

Metcalfe says the new station will be able house all trucks and equipment, as the current hall does not have the capacity to house everything. They are also planning to add a classroom/training room that will be able to fit all members of the department, as the current hall’s room can only seat 13.

He also adds that it is vital to add a de-contamination shower in the new hall, so members do not have to take unsafe equipment home with them.

The timeline for the project is not yet set in stone, but all parties are hoping to have shovels in the ground in 2020.