Fernie’s firefighters may soon have a more permanent site to call home as the City moves ahead with funding plans for a new fire hall.
At a Special Meeting on July 15, council approved a loan authorization bylaw to fund the new location at a portion of Prentice Park, on 1500 5th Ave. Construction is expected to cost $13.6 million, with an additional $2 million for contingency and $365,000 for owner costs.
“[With] the amount of increasing costs that we’ve seen in municipal infrastructure happening over the last five to seven years, not moving forward with this now is not cutting our nose off to spite our face– it’s cutting our face off to spite our nose,” Councillor Kevin McIsaac told council.
“I’m happy to support this.”
The budget also allocates $95,000 to improve other existing baseball diamonds and offset the impacts of the loss of Servello field.
Fernie Fire Hall Conceptual Design. Source: City of Fernie
If approved, a key component of funding will come from a new $7 million grant through the national Strategic Priorities Fund. The City will then use $4 million from its reserves, with the other half to be covered by a pending agreement with the Regional District of East Kootenay, as well as municipal loans.
The 55-year-old site at 692 3rd Ave. was decommissioned due to its inability to meet modern fire hall requirements. It has since been demolished to make way for a 44-unit housing project by the Elk Valley Family Society and New Commons Development.
More information is available through the City’s engagement portal. The City plans to start construction in spring 2026, with a fully functional fire hall scheduled to open in 2027.
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