New Fire Hall 2 on Tantalus Road now operational 

“These are critical life safety facilities that we have invested in substantially and not only does this ensure our firefighters have access to appropriate facilities, but it vastly improves our community resiliency,” says District of Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford. “Council set an ambitious goal to upgrade critical facilities and safeguard the needs of our rapidly growing community now and into the future. It’s very exciting that two of these facilities are now complete with many more upgrades planned or already underway throughout our community.”
 

The new hall meets the standards for fire protection and firefighting, including a decontamination space that will help to reduce exposure to cancer-causing contaminants throughout the firehall.

Built in 1978, the original Tantalus Fire Hall lacked seismic, environmental and general structural integrity that, even with renovations, could not meet the needs of the District. The new Fire Hall 2 is a net zero, all electric, post-disaster building that consists of three apparatus bays with administration office areas, four dorm rooms, washrooms, a training room, kitchen, and decontamination rooms for post-incident cleanup. Fire Hall 2 will operate as a paid-on-call fire hall but is designed to support full-time crews in the future. The building can accommodate up to 46 firefighters and is also designed to support four storeys of future housing needs or community space above.

“This new facility enhances our ability to quickly provide service to the community and support our firefighters,” says Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Aaron Foote. “Fire Hall 2 is a state-of-the art facility that allows Squamish Fire Rescue to accommodate the increased needs of a growing town and to service the community with the highest quality of emergency response we can deliver.” 

  

Squamish Fire Rescue currently has 1 Fire Chief, 2-Deputy Chiefs, 13 career firefighters and 50 paid on-call fire fighters. The combined new fire halls will house seven fire apparatus, four response vehicles, and accommodate future needs of the department growth. 

In 2019, Council endorsed the District’s Real Estate and Facilities Master Plan (REFMP) which guides decision making on the prioritization, timing and funding of facilities investments to meet the current and long-term needs of the community.
 

The REFMP prioritized the immediate replacement of three critical facilities: two fire halls and the Public Works facility. Fire Hall 1 and the Emergency Operations Centre Fire Hall 2 are now complete with construction of the Public Works facility underway.

Work is underway on Brennan Park Recreation Centre upgrades with the first two grant-funded projects. In addition, due diligence and scenario planning continue in order to map out plans and funding strategies for a new civic hub and municipal offices, and additional Brennan Park projects such as a second ice rink and pool.