La Broquerie readies new fire hall

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This article was published 09/02/2023 (741 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The RM of La Broquerie is putting the finishing touches on its first purpose-built fire hall after years of planning and debate.

The six-bay hall, located on a six-acre property along Provincial Road 210, will be a fully operational “response hall” by March 1, Fire Chief Alain Nadeau said last week during a site tour.

Equipment began moving into the hall last week. Trucks followed this week.

Nadeau said the hall was sized for future growth. Once all the trucks are inside there will still be an extra bay.

“They told us to build for the next 50 years, so we went a little bit bigger than we need right now,” he explained.

That’s a far cry from the situation at the old hall, a converted welding shop located along Highway 52. Nadeau said the building, which will be turned back into a public works shop, was cramped and crowded.

La Broquerie established its fire department in 1979. Nadeau, who has served as chief since 2005, is the lone remaining original member.

He said the new hall’s proximity to Marchand will enable many residents there to realize savings on their property insurance premiums, while maintaining those savings for residents to the west.

The new hall features a 6,500-sq-ft truck bay with heated floors and a 20,000-gallon cistern under the concrete.

Nadeau said the new system can refill the department’s 3,500-gallon tanker truck four times faster than the overhead filling station at the old hall, saving 15 valuable minutes each time.

“Plus nobody climbs on top anymore,” Nadeau said. “That’s quite nice.”

A high-ceilinged hose tower will contain racking used to drain and dry hoses. Nadeau said firefighters can use up to 20 hoses during a single call.

An office, washrooms (the old hall had just one), and a laundry room with an industrial washing machine and a mask cleaning station are located off the truck bay.

Rather than purchase an expensive drying rack for turnout gear, the department fashioned its own out of PVC pipe. Upstairs contains a large conference room and kitchen.

Firefighters enter the hall through a side door that opens directly into a locker room containing their turnout gear and a television displaying details from 911 dispatchers.

LED lighting was used throughout. Nadeau said the building’s ventilation system and floor drains are huge upgrades over the old hall. The property’s large parking lot will be paved in the spring.

It took about a year to construct the hall, but getting to that point took much longer. Nadeau said discussions with council began in late 2016.

Some council members, including then-reeve Lewis Weiss, favoured expanding the existing hall or building a second in Marchand.

Nadeau successfully lobbied for a single hall located between the two villages, explaining the municipality couldn’t staff two halls.

The RM included a new fire hall in its 2020 budget, at a cost of $1.25 million, but economic uncertainty convinced council to postpone construction by one year while purchasing the necessary land.

The updated construction cost of the hall, including paving, is $1.76 million, according to figures provided by municipal administrators this week.

Nadeau said having a new fire hall will not only improve department operations but also help with recruitment. The department currently has 30 members, but not all can respond to a daytime call.

An open house event for the new fire hall is being planned for the spring.