Fire Hall Replacement

The Fernie Fire and Emergency Services Department provides an essential service, ensuring the safety and well-being of the community. The first Fernie Fire Department was established in 1904 with a contingent of 100% volunteer members. Since that time, the department has grown to include over 40 paid on call members, a full time Fire Chief, a Deputy Chief, and eight full-time career firefighters. The current Fernie Fire & Emergency Services Department (FFESD) responds to over 400 emergency calls per year and serves over 10,000 residents in the City of Fernie and surrounding areas.

Background

From 1979 to 2022 the Fire and Emergency Services department operated out of fire hall located at 692 3rd Ave. The building, originally designed in 1970 as a automotive service garage, was decommissioned due to significant issues with the facility structure and function and the inability of the site and structure to meet current requirements for a fire hall. The Fire Department has been temporarily relocated to operate out of the City's old Public Works office, adjacent to the Operations Facility at 1492b Railway Ave. A leased Atco trailer is onsite to house turnout gear, and the Operations Facility is utilized for fleet storage.The City of Fernie is now looking to select a site for a new multi-generational fire hall to serve the community for the next 50+ years and is considering partnership with other users to maximize the community benefit of the site.

Site Selected: 1500 5th Ave.

On January 23rd at the Regular Council Meeting, Council selected 1500 5th Ave (a portion of Prentice Park) as the site for the City's replacement Fire Hall. This site was chosen as the preferred location as it provides a number of advantages including opportunities for co-use partnerships, adaptability for further growth, and a flexible site layout.

Next phases of the project will include detailed site testing, facility concept design, project costing, and exploration of co-use partnerships as we work towards a new operational Fire Hall in 2026.

Opportunities to Get Involved

Previous site selection studies have been completed however, this is the first time the City has put out a public call for partners, and provided an opportunity for public input, to ensure a transparent and inclusive analysis of all current opportunities.

The planning process to select the new site for the fire hall has offered multiple opportunities for community involvement:

• A Request for Expression of Interest was issued to explore opportunities for facility co-use partnerships, or potential private sites for the fire hall. CLOSED August 25, 2023.
• A Community Working Group (CWG) was formed with diverse community voices to provide guidance to the City's Project Team. Volunteer Opportunity CLOSED August 11, 2023.
• We hosted a Public Open House on October 26, and an online Engagement Survey. CLOSED midnight November 6, 2023.

Check back here for opportunities to participate in the process.