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Groundbreaking ceremony takes place for Fire Station #1

Construction of new station underway

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 29, 2020 11:15 AM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo broke ground on construction of the new Fire Station #1 at an official ceremony on July 29, 2020. The new building will not just be a fire station. Located on the same property as the existing Fire Station #1, the new building will also be home to the FireComm/Dispatch Centre, the administrative headquarters for the Nanaimo Fire and Rescue department and the City's Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC).

The scope of the project is to replace the existing Nanaimo Fire Station #1 on the same site at 666 Fitzwilliam Street. The existing Fire Station #1 will remain open until the new building can be occupied. After that, it will be demolished.

This will be the fourth Fire Station #1 since the establishment of the Nanaimo Fire Department. Originally established as the 'Black Diamond Fire Company' in 1878, the first station burned down in 1893 and a new one was built on Nicol Street where the Fire House Grill currently stands. The station is being built with the future in mind and will permit a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

Construction is expected to be complete in fall 2022. For further information and project updates, please visit the project website: www.nanaimo.ca/goto/FireStation1.

Link to Strategic Plan: Construction of a new Fire Station #1 contributes to a safe and livable community.

Key Points

  • Once Fire Station #1 is built, five key services will be operating and working together under one roof: Fire Rescue, Fire Administration, Fire Loss & Prevention, Fire Communications (911 dispatch) and the City's Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC).
  • Kinetic Construction Ltd, working for the City of Nanaimo, will be building a new Fire Station at 666 Fitzwilliam Street.
  • Please exercise caution, respect work boundaries, obey all signage placed for safety and follow the directions of the construction workers or flagpersons on duty.

Quotes

"Public safety is everyone's responsibility. As a municipality, we need to do our part and create a safe and efficient building for our responders, so they can go and help others when they need us."

Leonard Krog
Mayor
City of Nanaimo

"I'm so proud of this project and the team that has been working behind the scenes from the initial assessment to today with our groundbreaking. This will be a modern fire station which incorporates inclusivity, health and safety practices and is designed to reduce response times to our community."

Karen Fry
Fire Chief
City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

  • The existing fire station was built in 1967 and has a number of defi­ciencies and deterioration which have major impacts to station operations.
  • The new building is required to meet post-disaster requirements and best practices for sustainability.

Images

Fire Station #1 Groundbreaking
Fire Station #1 Groundbreaking
Rendering of New Fire Station
Rendering of New Fire Station

Videos

A Look at Fire Station #1
A Look at Fire Station #1
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Contact:

Karen Fry
Fire Chief
City of Nanaimo
250-755-4583

Print News Release

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