The cost of building a decontamination room at the Oil Springs fire hall has sparked the idea of erecting an entire new building which would house not just the fire service but the local library as well.
The idea of building a new fire hall for the Oil Springs and South Enniskillen Fire Department was floated at the last fire commission meeting on Feb. 20.
Councillor Larry Wagner brought up the idea and recounted it at the March 4 Oil Springs council meeting, saying it makes sense when you look at the capital projects and see the potential of an $800,000 addition to the fire hall to retrofit washrooms and shower facilities needed for the decontamination of firefighters after a call.
“I said ‘did you ever think maybe putting up a new fire hall,’” said Wagner.
The village already owns property which could house a new hall.
The municipality purchased 4592 Oil Springs Line, a property across the street from the existing fire hall.
A new fire hall could be built, Wagner suggested, which could also include the public library.
He suggested the current fire hall could be turned into a new public works garage.
The new structure would allow for the fire department to include the accessible washrooms, shower facilities and decontamination area that are being proposed by the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Ministry of Labour as a cancer prevention measure for firefighters.
The fire department is planning the addition for 2026.
“It is a thought,” said Wagner. “We would have to work out details.”
Other councillors thought the idea had merit.
It is worth looking into and making a business case either way, said Councillor Jordan Newport.
Oil Springs Clerk Martha Gawley said grant money would have to be received in order to make the idea viable.
“You are more likely to get grant money for a fire hall or for a library,” said Councillor Connie McFadden.
The discussion was part of council’s first glance at the Oil Springs and South Enniskillen Fire Department’s budget. The fire committee wants a truck bay ventilation system installed this year. It is expected to cost $60,000. The fire department was instructed to get quotes for the next fire committee meeting.
The department is also asking for a significant increase in funding for operating in 2025. It is proposing a $218,000 operating budget up from $189,000 in 2024.
An increase in training is one of the things that is pushing costs up, as $24,000 is being proposed to be spent in 2025, compared to the $3,000 spent in 2024.
Currently the fire department has two new recruits to train with two more new members coming on in April. The department is aiming to have two new recruits each year starting in 2026.
Fire departments across Ontario are also pushing to meet new training standards which come into effect in 2026. The Oil Springs department is joining with Warwick, Dawn-Euphemia and Brooke-Alvinston for training.
Both Oil Springs and Enniskillen township will have to approve the increased operating costs since Enniskillen pays 78 percent of the department’s costs while the Village of Oil Springs is on the hook for the remaining 22 percent.
That funding split between two municipalities could also be an issue as the department tries to figure out how to meet the decontamination room requirements with either an addition or a new building.
“This isn’t going to happen overnight,” said Mayor Ian Veen, something Wagner echoed saying this would be a few years away.
“It is just an idea I am putting out there,” said Wagner.