Sitting in a guest chair sipping a coffee, View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst comments on how his new office feels somewhat like a B次元官网网址渇ish bowl.B次元官网网址�
Accustomed to being mostly out of public view at the old fire hall on Four Mile Hill, he now has a clear view out onto Island Highway, where thousands of residents and commuters alike pass by daily. HurstB次元官网网址檚 airy, bright front office reflects the design of the whole front of the new hall: huge glass doors and windows allow the public to see fire vehicles standing at the ready.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e had so many residents come through already and take a look,B次元官网网址� the chief says. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a high sense of civic pride in this building.B次元官网网址�
The $7.49-million public safety building, so called for the fact it combines the functions of fire protection, building inspection, bylaw enforcement and emergency program management, has been operational nearly two weeks.
In the first week at the new site firefighters responded to 25 or 30 calls, about average, Hurst says. The very first, he notes, was attending to a pair of West Shore RCMP officers who had ingested exhaust fumes during a Colwood rescue.
The building is the culmination of years of planning, research, design and of course, a in the fall of 2012 that saw roughly 64 per cent of voters say yes to the town borrowing almost $5.5 million for the project. The referendum was forced that summer, after the town received roughly to a $7.9-million loan, almost double the number of responses required under the Alternative Approval Process.
From the street alone, the building is eye-catching and modern-looking. But it is equal parts form and function, with a warm, dry place inside for virtually everything B次元官网网址� not least of which the vehicles and other rescue equipment.
Roughly centred in a bowl carved out of a piece of land that formerly housed three old homes, the building has or will eventually offer built-in training opportunities for things like high-angle rescues, aerial truck hose practice, rappelling and enclosed-space firefighting.
Gone are the days of having to use a wing of Victoria General Hospital for aerial work, or finding places around View Royal that were quiet enough to practice certain aspects of the job.
B次元官网网址淭he guys are really excited,B次元官网网址� Hurst says of the new on-site options. B次元官网网址淲e no longer have to train firefighters on streets and in neighbourhoods B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 going to take this department to the next level.B次元官网网址�
Other features built into the new hall will profoundly affect the ability for the fire department to respond in a timely fashion.
Down an upstairs hallway from the gym are four dorm-style bunk rooms, where firefighters will sleep overnight and be available to spring into action immediately.
Off the same hallway is an outside pathway leading to what will eventually be four side-by-side bachelor apartments. TheyB次元官网网址檒l be offered up to four volunteer firefighters B次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檒l pay rent and likely be assigned groundskeeping duties, Hurst says B次元官网网址� who will be available overnight as well.
B次元官网网址淔rom a service delivery point of view, this is a game-changer,B次元官网网址� the chief says of the potential to have eight firefighters on site overnight, who can roll a unit out of the hall in 60 to 80 seconds, rather than having to wait until a full crew arrives from their homes. B次元官网网址淰iew Royal residents will definitely notice a difference.B次元官网网址�
Standing in the turnout gear room, set to 24 C to help dry equipment quickly and negatively pressurized to keep in particulate contaminants, Troy Mollin, a firefighter who serves as the townB次元官网网址檚 emergency program officer, canB次元官网网址檛 say enough about the new facility.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big upgrade; itB次元官网网址檚 actually surreal to be in the building right now,B次元官网网址� he says.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 so many opportunities going forward to improve all our programs, including emergency management, our training and the administration of our department. That was the purpose of the design, to allow room for growth.B次元官网网址�
Asked what he likes about the new hall, fellow firefighter Gary Faykes, who is the townB次元官网网址檚 building inspector, jokes that itB次元官网网址檚 a kilometre closer to his home so he can get here quicker.
B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 a great building to respond from; everything has been set up perfectly,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淔rom a building official side, I love it because the building is very code compliant. It was very well designed and itB次元官网网址檚 been great working in it, from the beginning groundbreaking right up to occupancy.B次元官网网址�
Creating an oasis for times of crisis
With its own reserve of truck fuel, propane and a massive generator, the new View Royal public safety building has been built to B次元官网网址減ost-disasterB次元官网网址� standards, meaning itB次元官网网址檚 designed to continue to function even if an earthquake or other disaster takes other emergency services out of commission.
With a large classroom and adjacent boardroom on the premises, the building is designed to function as the town hall in the event the municipal building is rendered useless, says Hurst.
And with a commercial-size kitchen on site available to keep people fed, the building would definitely be a place of comfort in the event of an emergency.
Controversy over expenditure has largely dissipated
View Royal Mayor David Screech knows well the amount of criticism the town and council took over the project before the referendum. He says the "bitterness and division in the community" has evaporated somewhat since 2012.
"There was a lot of concern from some people that the building was too grand for View Royal," says the mayor, who was a councillor at the time. "But when you tour that building B次元官网网址� and a lot of people have so far B次元官网网址� there's no unused space in there. It's been designed very well for the fire department's needs, with a little room for expansion as we move down the road."
Not only did everyone involved with the project help keep it , he says, compared to other new halls in the region such as Central Saanich and the DND hall on Esquimalt Road, "I honestly think that our residents have got very, very good value."
He believes the town is now housing its firefighters in a new facility more befitting of their role in the community, as opposed to the previous building. Screech points out that in the leadup to the referendum, volunteer firefighters went door-to-door in the community speaking with fellow residents about the project and answering questions.
"The firefighters themselves deserve a huge amount of credit," he says.
Bittersweet goodbye to old hall for chief
Hurst admits he felt a bit of an emotional twinge upon stepping out of the old building and assuming operations, with no interruption to service, in the new one.
B次元官网网址淢y dad was a volunteer firefighter,B次元官网网址� he says, B次元官网网址渁nd IB次元官网网址檝e been coming to that hall since I was five years old.B次元官网网址�
Now 44, Hurst joined the volunteer ranks as a fresh-faced teen in 1984 and was hired on full-time in B次元官网网址�87. Since then heB次元官网网址檚 seen many a volunteer firefighter come and go through the old hall.
B次元官网网址淭he old adage B次元官网网址榠f these walls could talkB次元官网网址� comes to mind,B次元官网网址� he says. Around 280 volunteers have served on fire duty since View RoyalB次元官网网址檚 inception, 100 since Hurst has been involved.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a bit of a weird feeling; you kind of see this orphan sitting on the hill,B次元官网网址� he says of the old building. That said, he isnB次元官网网址檛 looking back too wistfully.
He studied blueprints for three years leading up to the move, knowing what was planned and helping guide the process. Still, he says, the finished product is B次元官网网址渇ar more than I expected. I had no idea it would come together like this.B次元官网网址�
Well aware of who breathes life to this sparkling new facility, he gives a final shout-out to the 36 volunteer firefighters who serve their community 24/7.
B次元官网网址淭he volunteers deserve every square inch of this building for what they give.B次元官网网址�
Meanwhile, a public grand opening for the new building is tentatively planned for sometime in May. The old hall will be torn down, likely later this summer, and the land is already on the market, Screech says.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
