Edmonton’s 30th fire station opens in northeast end

On Saturday, community members and officials celebrated the opening of Edmonton Fire Rescue Services’ 30th fire station in the city.

“Pilot Sound fire station is an important addition to the community and will be integral to protecting the life, property and environment of not just this community, but the entire city,” Fire Chief Ken Block said.

“Edmonton Fire Rescue Services is proud to serve the citizens of Edmonton and we are so appreciative of the support we have received from the Pilot Sound community.”

Pilot Sound is a residential community that encompasses seven neighbourhoods in the city’s northeast corner.

Block expected about 600 people to attend Saturday’s opening.

“It’s just fantastic to see the residents come out and get to know their firefighters, get familiar with their fire station,” he said. “We’re here to serve them.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's just fantastic to see the residents come out and get to know their firefighters, get familiar with their fire station," he said. "We're here to serve them."

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Construction of the fire station started in the fall of 2015. The city contributed $3.1 million to the project, with the province providing the remaining $9.3 million through its Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI).

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“The Municipal Sustainability Initiative program is helping build and equip Edmonton’s Pilot Sound Fire Station — a project that does more than enhance quality of life; it will help to preserve life,” MLA Heather Sweet said.

READ MORE: Fire chief says response times too slow in Edmonton’s west end 

The new station is expected to serve the city for 50 years.

“This newest fire station in Pilot Sound enhances the already exceptional fire service being provided to Edmonton,” Coun. Ed Gibbons said.

The 13,000-square-foot station includes living space for firefighters as well as a vented turnout gear room to store contaminated bunker gear.

“As far as state-of-the-art goes, absolutely,” Block said. “It meets the LEED silver standards, which is fantastic from an environmental perspective.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As far as state-of-the-art goes, absolutely," Block said. "It meets the LEED silver standards, which is fantastic from an environmental perspective.

“From a health and safety perspective, we’ve got some incredible features that are very progressive, the biggest one being our external duty gear storage room… It’s 100 per cent isolated from the main living area. This really addresses the occupational illness problem that we have with 14 cancers that are recognized as being related to firefighters.”

Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design New Construction (LEED-NC) Silver-rating-certified buildings reduce waste, conserve energy, decrease water consumption and drive innovation through better air ventilation, more natural daylight and several other innovative techniques.