Work is finally complete on the conversion of an old cardboard box plant into the new public works building and fire hall in Plum Coulee.
The new fire hall addition features a huge apparatus room with three bays, a meeting hall with a kitchen, laundry area, gear room, and two washrooms.
Chief Tony Fehr has been with the department for 25 years. He says they could not be happier with their new space.
“With the increased traffic at the beach, the location of the old hall was really becoming dangerous. Space was a huge problem as well. We weren’t able to expand at that location. When I started, we were at one truck, so it fit. When we expanded to a second truck, we had to modify the old building because it was pretty small. Before that, it was a water treatment plant, so the building was never designed for that.”
They also had trouble hosting training events at the old fire hall.
“We had to train outdoors. We have 18 members, and we were limited to just a few months of the year when the weather was nice. This building has all the right details to function properly as a department.”
The addition was nearly two years in the making. After months of delays, the effort finally got underway in January 2023. Since then, a separation wall went up to create the two spaces, a new concrete floor was poured on the public works side of the building, and the floor on the fire hall side was modified to accommodate fire trucks. The north wall of the building was brought up to code and an addition built on to the east side.
The public works staff moved into their respective side earlier this year, and a few weeks ago members of the fire department were able to move their gear and apparatus into the new garage, which features roughly three times the space they had in their previous hall.
The previous Plum Coulee Fire Hall had been deemed to be inadequate for a long time, Fehr says. Not only was the facility too small for current and future needs, but its location next to the beach also raised traffic concerns for firefighters responding to emergencies.
“And the town is growing. With more residential and more business comes more risk for fires. Our average has been about 25 calls a year. This year has been an exception with over 30. With the increased population, it just makes sense. A community needs proper emergency services.”
Additionally, the old hall sits on the same lot as a water pump house, which was considered a “non-conforming use.” With a replacement pump station planned to be built at a different spot, the question was raised about what to do with the old building, as well as the needs for a new fire hall.
“Two years ago council finally decided to purchase this building. This was a paper plant and previously to that a manufacturing plant and before that, a chemical storage,” Fehr says. “These three bays were added in 2011 when it was a manufacturing plant. When this came available, the municipality saw the value and the opportunity.”
There were cost overruns with the early engineering designs, along with supply chain issues, which put the process at a standstill.
“We weren’t asking for the world. We needed a place to meet and a place to put the trucks. So me and the guys came up with a plan and pitched the idea of this addition to council. Initially the perception of adding onto a building this size seemed ridiculous. But when it came down to dollars, this made the most sense. Council jumped on board, and it happened. Now we’re good to go here for another 50 years.”
The meeting hall alone is the same size as the entire old fire hall.
“We could fit three of our old fire halls in that garage,” Fehr says. “Now we can train with the trucks inside. It’s just great.”
The next dream is more equipment.
“Before, we didn’t have that option. The stuff that we had was just laying there already. Now we’re in the process of trying to organize and sit back on what we can do next. There’s always been talk of a tank truck because of the municipality we live in. So that’s one thing that somewhere in the future we’ll be looking at.”
Fehr adds, “Our neighbouring departments have beautiful halls, with future built in. And that was our goal here. Make something that we don’t have to think about changing anytime soon.”
