The City of Fernie has received the final planning report for a new fire hall and will be moving forward with the project.
The report includes a conceptual design for the new fire hall and an estimate on how much it would cost.
The approximate cost for Phase 1 of the project would be $20.5 million.
Phase 1 would include the construction of the fire hall while Phase 2 would be for the addition of co-user spaces.
The city will look at reducing the cost by selling off some city-owned properties.
The city started working on the project after the old fire hall was decommissioned in 2022 due to significant structural and operational issues.
Since then the fire department has been working out of a makeshift facility.
Fire chief Brendan Morgan said it’s taking a toll on the firefighters.
“It’s demoralizing for the firefighters. It’s an essential service and these firefighters put their lives on the line 24/7 if they’re needed,” he said.
“We have our quarters and offices in an old lunch room and public works admin area. I think the biggest thing at this point is the health and safety of our firefighters. It’s mostly mental at this point and It’s really frustrating.”
He added that it’s time something happens.
“We’ve been passing this off for so long and we can’t keep doing it. We’re going to lose a lot of our firefighters.”
Once final designs are complete and the city knows how much money will need to be borrowed the project will be decided by the public in a referendum.
The full fire hall report can be found here.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyEastKootenayNow News Alerts.
