(Facebook/ Lakeland and District Fire Dept.)

By Nigel Maxwell

Fire protection

New fire hall planned for Christopher Lake

Jul 8, 2022 | 2:00 PM

Plans are in motion to build a new 10,000 sq. foot fire hall in the Village of Christopher Lake, and it will be directly across the street from the current one.

The building permit was approved during May’s council meeting. Fire Chief Chris McShannock confirmed for paNOW that the foundation is currently being worked on, and the building will be completed in September 2023.

“We have outgrown our existing main hall, office space, storage, truck bays are small, and equipment is bigger now than 15 years ago,” he said.

Estimated the final cost of the project to be around $1.5 million, McShannock explained there is no funding available in the fire service, and so for the last 20 years, fundraising and saving every penny possible has allowed the department to undertake the upgrade.

“We need the new facility, and have to keep in mind that this new main hall will be for the next 20 plus years, and keep up services for the growth of the communities that we serve,” he said.

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The Lakeland and District Fire Dept. serves an area that is roughly around 3,300 sq. km. and includes the District of Lakeland, Rural Municipality of Paddockwood, Village of Christopher Lake and the Village of Paddockwood. McShannock explained the new hall will house the majority of their equipment, as most of our manpower is around Christopher Lake.

“Currently we have some equipment in our satellite halls, and don’t have bodies to operate that equipment, having it close by is easier to access when we require,” he said.

McShannock also expressed his hope that a new hall may attract some new recruits, that can help with the workload.

“We are very busy and have to keep up with demand and the times,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell