LaSalle to construct two fire substations, add full-time firefighters


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LaSalle will soon begin building two fire service substations and hire more full-time firefighters, after town councilors approved a 10-year plan that will increase coverage across the growing municipality.

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The three-station model includes keeping the existing headquarters on Normandy Street and building first a substation on the town’s vacant lot at 2160 Front Road, where the former LaSalle Centennial Arena once stood, by 2026.

A second substation is scheduled to be built in 2031 on Laurier Parkway in the area of ​​Disputed Road.

With this plan, council is committed to building a safer LaSalle

Fire Chief Ed Thiessen said the need for a three-station model is based on projections for growth within the town and subsequent need for greater response capabilities.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines require that fire apparatus and four firefighters arrive on a scene within four minutes in urban areas.

The LaSalle Fire Service station is shown on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.
The LaSalle Fire Service station is shown on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Thiessen said with the three-station model, 87 per cent of the town’s urban area will be provided initial coverage within the guidelines—well above the provincial average of 72 per cent and above the 75 per cent coverage target for municipalities.

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“Up until now, we have maintained the appropriate level of fire service and response, but as current (building) trends continue, we will have difficulty maintaining the NFPA guideline,” Thiessen said.

“Our town is growing, and as we continue to do so it is our duty to continue to meet standards by responding to the growing needs of our community,” said Mayor Marc Bondy. “With this plan, the council is committed to building a safer LaSalle.”

In addition, the chief said volunteer firefighter retention has become a challenge for most composite fire services across North America. LaSalle Fire Service is a composite fire department with 12 full-time firefighters and 32 volunteer (paid-on-call) firefighters.

He said the service has had challenges maintaining the full complement of volunteer firefighters in recent years and that led to difficulties meeting the NFPA guideline.

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The three-station model includes a plan to eventually staff each fire service location with four full-time firefighters but initially there will be two full-time firefighters at each station.

Director of finance Dale Langlois said the financial plan considers both the capital and operational requirements of the fire master plan and begins with a $200,000 increase which was approved as part of the 2022 budget, followed by a $25,000 increase each year over a period of 10 years .

This amounts to an annual municipal tax rate impact range from 0.52 per cent in 2022 to 0.75 per cent in 2031.

“Over the next two years the focus will be on the design and construction of the first substation on Front Road at the former Centennial Arena site and securing the land for the second substation,” Langlois said.

Further information about the three-fire-station model can be found at lasalle.ca/firestations

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LaSalle Fire Service Chief Ed Thiessen is shown at the municipality's fire station on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.
LaSalle Fire Service Chief Ed Thiessen is shown at the municipality’s fire station on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star



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