City announces official opening of Fire Station No. 2

Brantford, ON: Fittingly timed during Fire Prevention week, on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, a small group of dignitaries and representatives from the City of Brantford and Brantford Fire were proud to officially open the City’s new Fire Station No. 2 located at 21 Fairview Drive.

Beautifully designed by GD Vallee Limited to mirror the façade of historical Fire Stations, the new fully accessible AODA compliant facility was built to replace the existing 60-year-old Fire Station located at 311 St. Paul Ave. At 10,600 sq. ft., not only does the new station meet the City’s current and future fire service needs, but it also uniquely celebrates Brantford Fire’s rich history, diversity and connection to the community - predominantly on display throughout the design of the building, most notably in the Heritage Room.

Graciously on loan from the Brantford Historical Society, a distinct feature of the Heritage Room is the 1890 Ronald, one of the original steam engine pumps; manufactured locally by the Waterous Engine Works Company Limited, and carefully repaired and refurbished by members of the Brantford Fire Department. Also featured across two walls of the Heritage Room is a comprehensive visual historical timeline that describes key events, milestones and technological enhancements specific to Brantford Fire services from the 1830’s – 2000’s.

The building also houses a “Community Room” planned with members of the community in mind who can use the room for training purposes or workshops once gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.

The apparatus floor of the new station features three drive-through bays operated by electrical remote door openers. The floor was designed for housing, cleaning, maintenance, and repairing firefighting apparatus and rescue equipment, as well as serving as a place to train firefighters out of the elements.

The Kitchen/Dining/Lounge area is a multi-functional space featuring technology enabling remote access to training sessions. This advancement in technology allows Brantford Fire members to connect with any division or City staff for meetings, workshops and training opportunities while maintaining operational demands.

Other key features include:

• Separate living quarters for male and female crew members
• Updated technology, radio systems and multimedia
• Automatic back-up generation
• Improved energy star rated efficiency lighting and heating

The building, beautifully constructed by Vicano Construction Limited and skillfully project managed by City Facilities Department staff, is now officially operational nearly a year to the day since the ground-breaking event last October.

Due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, today’s opening was a small invite only ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new building. The City, together with Brantford Fire look forward to hosting a Community Open House for members of the public to tour the facility when it is safe for large gatherings to take place again.

In the meantime, the City plans to release a video featuring a virtual tour of the new facility and highlights of the opening ceremony in the coming days.

QUOTES
“Brantford’s new No. 2 fire station will bring vital emergency services closer to home for residents, institutions and businesses in this area of the city. Having Station No. 2 operational today delivers on Council’s commitment to meet the demands of our growing population. I am also very proud of the firefighters of Brantford Fire, who not only respond to emergencies, but remain active members of this community through outreach initiatives and fire safety education. While this building appropriately has all of the latest technology, the way it has been built aptly reflects and continues the strong tradition of firefighting fuelled by the dedicated men and women of Brantford Fire.”
- City of Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis

“This new facility will serve as an essential community amenity in this neighbourhood for years to come. I am tremendously proud of this facility and want to sincerely thank members of City Council for their support and all those who worked so hard to bring this building to life. It is my sincere hope that over the next several years and decades, this station becomes a place that not only will meet the future needs of our community and support the training needs of Brantford’s firefighters, but also one that is connected to the community through our ongoing participation in neighbourhood events and activities.”
- Brantford Fire Chief Todd Binkley

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Media Contact:
Maria Visocchi Director, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | Office: 519.759.4150 Ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca