SASKATOON – The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) has announced it will be breaking ground for a state-of-the-art fire station along Preston Avenue, adjacent to the University of Saskatchewan (USask) main campus.
The new station will replace the 56-year-old Fire Station No. 5 currently located on Central Avenue in Sutherland, and will improve response times to the surrounding area, including the university campus, according to a city of Saskatoon press release.
“We are proud to continue to work in partnership with the city of Saskatoon on a wide variety of projects that help to serve and to give back to the vibrant community that we are all a part of,” said University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff.
“The establishment of this new fire station is the latest development in the successful co-operation and collaboration between the city and the university and reinforces our commitment to community, including Indigenous partners and friends. As we celebrate this important step forward for the city, it is important to recognize that this fire station will be located on Treaty 6 territory and the Homeland of the Métis.”
The relocation comes as a result of a review of SFD’s operations that led to the development of a new service model to improve the fire service’s travel times across the city, the release states.
“The new location was selected with the aim of increasing both safety and efficiency,” said Fire Chief Morgan Hackl. “Computer-generated mapping revealed that relocating Station No. 5 closer to the intersection of College Drive and Preston Avenue will put our fire service in a better position to meet the four-minute travel time set out by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and better utilize resources.”
Once fully commissioned, the 930-square metre, two-storey fire station will also be furnished with a cultural space intended for SFD initiatives, civic departments and for university activities. When available, the shared space will be open to public bookings for community groups.
“As the city grows, our fire department has done important work to reorganize our fire stations,” said Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark. “This helps ensure we can keep our growing neighbourhoods protected in a way that efficiently uses our resources over the long term. This new fire station is an example of that. The university has been a great partner in getting this built and we continue to work closely with the university community. This is a great day.”
The new station is expected to be operational by the summer of 2023.
