The Astorville Fire Hall in East Ferris is getting an upgrade this summer. Hodgson Electric has been contracted for the work, which includes renovating an existing washroom facility and building out a new clean room for bunker gear.
The work was quoted at $27,238 plus HST and will begin within a couple of weeks.
A new room for bunker gear – the firefighters’ workwear – is best “segregated in a separate room,” noted East Ferris’ Chief Administrative Officer, Jason Trottier, “in order to keep it clean.” Specifically, Fire Chief Steph Amyotte noted it’s “necessary to keep the diesel particulates” from the trucks “away from the gear.”
The renovations are not major, more of a “sprucing up,” Trottier said, and no additions to the building will be made. Everything will be completed within the existing building’s space.
The new gear bunker will be 8 by 16 feet. Lighting, heating, and a wall-mounted ventilation system will be added to the new space. Stairs will also be built leading to a storage area above the room.
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As for the bathroom upgrades, all the fixtures will be replaced, new flooring will be laid, paint, and new plumbing and electric as well.
“The current condition of the washroom and shower area are in need of repair and do not meet current needs or requirements to allow firefighters the opportunity to shower after an emergency incident,” Chief Amyotte detailed in a report to council.
These upgrades will solve that, and since last year the municipality had a new well drilled for the fire hall, there should be lots of water at the ready.
The renovations will create “a better work environment,” for those serving the East Ferris Fire Department, Trottier said.