New Fire Hall Replacement Project

Mayor and Fire Chief Break Ground on New Fire Hall

April 26, 2021 - Mayor Bill Dingwall and Fire Chief Mike Larsson recognized the start of construction of the new Fire Hall during a small groundbreaking ceremony.

“On behalf of City Council, I am very proud to see construction begin on this much needed new Fire Hall for our community,” says Mayor Bill Dingwall. “With public and firefighter safety as our top priority, the new state-of-the-art facility will provide a healthy work environment with important training facilities and a modern Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for first responders and EOC staff. It will also enhance communications and services during emergencies in our region and has space to meet the needs of our community for decades to come.”

Construction of the new three-storey, 25,270 square-foot post disaster rated facility with a four-storey hose tower, four tandem bays, and the City’s new Emergency Operations Centre is scheduled to be complete by late summer of 2022.

Read the full media release here. 

Overview

On March 5, 2019, following months of careful analysis, Pitt Meadows City Council decided to rebuild the fire hall on the existing site. A variety of factors were considered in selecting this site including: emergency response times, access, neighbourhood impacts, building costs and site size.  

The new building will replace the existing fire hall which opened in 1983 and no longer meets the needs of PMFRS. The new facility would be larger and address a number of safety and operational hazards for first responders. 

The City has set aside funds in reserves for the facility replacement. The final budget will be determined following a preliminary design, cost estimate and project scope review. The new building will be designed to meet current B.C. Building Codes and be seismically sound. It will also incorporate the City’s new Emergency Operations Centre.

Construction Timeline

Jacob Bros Construction Inc is the general contractor for the project and will be starting construction in the coming weeks. Measures will be taken to ensure that while construction is ongoing, impacts to the community are minimized as much as possible. This includes adhering to the City’s noise bylaw, following a traffic management plan, and ensuring that dust is adequately controlled

Video to Celebrate Old Fire Hall as Demo Nearing Completion

The community is invited to join Mayor and Council on a virtual final tour of the old hall to reflect on its many years of service to this community, and to watch the building walls come down as we embark on the next chapter for our Fire Department. 

Demolition is now complete on the old 1983 Fire Hall and construction of the new Fire Hall building is anticipated to commence in March 2021.

Read the full media release here. 

Construction of new tower and decommissioning of existing tower

In order to accommodate construction of the new Fire Hall, the a new communications tower was built slightly to the west and the old tower was decommission and removed. This work was completed in late April of 2021. 

     
                    Current (old) Fire Hall - built in 1983                                                                                           Rendering of the new Fire Hall           

Video: Artist Rendering of new Fire Hall     

This video shows the exterior of the new Pitt Meadows Fire Hall based on current designs from Johnston Davidson Architecture. As the design is finalized, there may be some adjustments made such as window locations and siding colour.

Temporary Fire Hall at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport

Pitt Meadows Fire & Rescue Services is fully operational in their temporary location at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport for the duration of the construction of the new Fire Hall. Removal of the old building was completed  during summer 2020  and construction began April 2021 and is scheduled to reach substantial completion by late summer 2022.  As the project moves forward, information will continue to be shared with the community on our website and social media channels. 

Updates and Timeline

• Media Release: Mayor and Fire Chief Break Ground on New Fire Hall (April 26, 2021)
• On December 1, 2020 Council approved the recommendation to award to Jacob Bros. Construction Inc. the construction contract for the new fire hall.  
• Media Release: Video to Celebrate Old Fire Hall as Demo Nearing Completion (August 31, 2020)
• A Development Variance Permit application for the new Fire Hall was submitted to Council on July 8, 2020.
• Design, cost estimates and timeline of construction for the new fire hall was presented at Council meeting on March 10.
• Media Release: Temporary Fire Hall Location Chosen (February 24, 2020).
• Media Release:  Council Endorses Fire Hall Conceptual Design (August 8, 2019).
• On July 30, 2019, conceptual designs for the new fire hall were presented to Council. Next steps will include a detailed design and a public information session  in the fall. The report is available here. 
• On April 30, 2019 Council approved the recommendation to award to Johnston Davidson Architects & Planning for the design, tender, contract administration, and close-out for the new fire hall.  
• Media Release: Pitt Meadows Council Selects Location for New Fire Hall (March 7, 2019)
• On March 5, 2019 Council approved a re-build of the new fire hall on the current site.
• The decision to replace the aging fire hall was made November 28, 2017 following a report by Johnston Davidson Architecture & Planning that showed the high need for a new facility.