Mayor Mat Siscoe and St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper were joined on July 8 by MPP Sylvia Gualtieri, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, who gave remarks on his behalf, St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle, St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens and Fire Services firefighters and staff to celebrate the official opening of the new, state-of-the-art, net-zero Fire Station 2.
The modern, green fire station on Linwell Road is the City’s first building designed to meet the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Zero Carbon Building Standard, highlighting the City’s commitment to reducing local greenhouse gases.
“Today marks a proud and pivotal moment for our City,” said Mayor Siscoe. “The completion of Fire Station 2 is more than just an investment in public safety – it’s a bold step forward in our commitment to environmental responsibility. This fire station stands as a symbol of our leadership in climate action, our belief in building a healthier future, and our dedication to doing right by both our residents and the planet.”
The new fire station aligns with the City’s defined objectives and targets in the Environmental Stewardship Pillar in the City’s Strategic Plan, our Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan, and our Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan that necessitates a comprehensive building standard as a guide to achieve these goals.
A building designed in accordance with the CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Standard is highly energy efficient, produces onsite renewable energy, reduces lifecycle embodied carbon and emissions from materials, and shifts peak electricity demands.
Some of Fire Station 2’s green building features to meet the CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Standard include 53-kilowatt solar panels on the roof, electric heating and cooling, triple-glazed thermal windows, two electric vehicle charging stations, and walls and windows with a high R-value, an insulation rating that indicates the ability to retain heat.
A federal government Green Municipal Fund grant of about $440,000 contributed to the construction of Fire Station 2.
The new Fire Station 2 building has a larger bay for trucks, washroom and changing facilities for men and women, and a barrier-free washroom and other accessibility features, elements not present in the former 1950s-era fire station building.
“This new net-zero fire station reflects our commitment not just to emergency response, but to long-term community health and sustainability,” said Fire Chief Upper. “It’s a modern facility built with the future in mind – reducing energy use, lowering costs, and improving conditions for our firefighters. We’re proud to lead by example in building a safer, greener future.”
Visitors gained full access to the new fire station, including a specialized bunker gear washer and dryer that decontaminates gear firefighters wear into fire to reduce the long-term effects of exposure to fire-related contaminants and chemicals.
An Ontario government Fire Protection Grant of nearly $50,000, part of a cancer prevention program for firefighters, funded the specialized equipment. Firefighters face a greater risk of developing health problems because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and die of cancer at a rate up to four times higher than the general population.
Fire Services also unveiled a new style of City fire truck – a pumper tanker, which features a larger on-board water tank and a portable water tank which allows them to operate at rural fires more efficiently.
More information on the City’s climate action efforts is available in the City’s Corporate Climate Action Adaptation Plan on the City’s website.