Q. How many fire stations does the city have?
A. The city currently has one fire station located at 10099 – 93 Ave.
Q. Will the current station still be in service?
A. Yes, the current fire station will remain operational. Fire Administration will relocate to the new fire station, allowing for increased capacity and operational space across both stations.
Q. Why does Fort Saskatchewan need a second fire station?
A. The Fire Services Master Plan that was completed in 2023 identified the need for an additional fire station. The city has seen significant growth to the south and annexed additional lands in 2020. The new fire station will be located in the southern portion of the city and will provide 10-minute response times to all lands within the city’s current boundary including the annexed lands. The city also has a large industrial base which is part of the Heartland Industrial Park and Veterans Way is a major transportation corridor that runs through the city.
Q. Will the new fire training tower release smoke or fire?
A. The fire training tower will be a Class B fire facility. These facilities utilize clean-burning gas such as propane or natural gas and theatrical smoke machines to replicate realistic, hazardous fire behaviours without producing the thick toxic smoke associated with Class A (wood) burns.
Q. Are development levies being used to fund the new facility?
A. Yes, developer levies are being used to fund a portion of the facility. These funds are not available upfront so as levies are collected during and after the construction, they will be used to offset project costs and reduce the net impact debt servicing.
Q. Doesn’t the City already have an Emergency Coordination Centre? Why is the City investing in a standalone facility for the Emergency Coordination Centre?
A. Currently, there is a dedicated room at the Dow Centennial Centre (DCC) that is a shared Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) and meeting room. The new fire station will include a dedicated Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) with breakout rooms and the capacity to support large-scale emergencies and disasters. In addition to emergency response functions, the space will provide much-needed capacity for City training, events, emergency preparedness activities, and programming that cannot be adequately accommodated within existing facilities.
Q. What is the total cost of the project and what will the impact on taxpayers be?
A. The total cost of the project is $30.99M. The estimated property tax impact is 3.89% or approximately $101 annually for sample residential property and $445 annually for sample non-residential property, based on 2026 sample property values.
Q. How many additional firefighters or apparatus will be required because of the second fire station?
A. Staffing levels are directly linked to the Fire Service's ability to achieve its 10-minute response time target. No additional firefighters or apparatus will be required because of the second fire station. The current firefighter and apparatus will be split between the existing fire station and the new fire station.
Q. Can residents or community organizations use spaces within the facility?
A. There will be a heritage room where the history of the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department will be displayed and this room will be available to be booked by the public and schools for field trips. There will also be boardrooms and a classroom for meetings or training. Other city departments, community groups and industrial partners will be able to book these spaces.
Q. Has the station been designed to accommodate future expansion?
A. Yes, the station has been designed to accommodate additional equipment in the apparatus bay and additional offices for future staff.
