New Carseland fire hall funded and construction underway

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Last week, shovels officially hit the ground in the construction of the new Carseland fire hall – days after funding for the project was finalized.

Members of the Carseland Fire Department, Wheatland County council and staff and Bow River MP Martin Shields performed a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 20 at the site, which is located just south of Highway 24.

The new fire hall will allow the Carseland Fire Department to serve its community better, said Chief Ryan Hauswirth. “It’s going to be a good, central place to train and serve,” he said.

The new hall will be safer to enter and exit, and will house the department’s three units (the current hall has only two bays). It will also provide new training grounds, including a borrow pit repurposed as a water rescue training pond, and has more room to carry out day-to-day activities, said Hauswirth.

The project has been a long time coming, said Wheatland County Division 3 Councillor Donna Biggar. 

“I want to take the time today to express my gratitude to the men and women who serve and protect not only our community, but also our businesses and visitors,” she said during the ceremony. “They give up their time to fight fires, floods and much more – they are our heroes.”

Council solidified funding for the fire hall during its regular meeting on Aug. 18, when $2.5 million in funding was approved for the project.

A total of $93,939 was appropriated into the Carseland fire capital reserve, formed through community donations, totaling $381,952, which was then allocated to the project.

Additionally, $1,044,622 of provincial municipal stimulus funding was committed to the project. “Without the municipal stimulus funding that was provided to the county, this project would not be possible this year; so a huge thank you to the province for that,” said Reeve Amber Link during the ceremony.

Beairsto and Associates Engineering Ltd. was selected as the design consultant for the build. The company was responsible for the La Glace fire hall, located near Grande Prairie, which will be the basis for the design.

Wheatland County was considering a design by another company to build the fire hall but declined the proposal when its cost was estimated at around $7 million. 

“With good sense, we walked away from it,” said Wheatland County Division 4 Councillor Tom Ikert. “We’re now going to get a good fire facility that Carseland needs for two and a half million dollars.”