St. Albert has officially begun construction on its fourth fire station, a project city officials say is needed to keep pace with the community’s growth and rising demand on emergency services.
The new facility broke ground Tuesday in the northeast end of the city, near St. Albert Trail and Neil Ross Road. The location is intended to improve emergency response times across the north end of the community, where development has increased call volumes and placed additional strain on the city’s existing fire halls, according to the city’s website.
St. Albert Mayor Scott Olivieri said it is the city’s responsibility to invest in the assets and resources needed to ensure first responders can keep serving a growing population.
Design and Sustainability Features
The two-storey station will include two double-deep bays for fire equipment, accommodations for firefighters and paramedics, a decontamination room and administrative space. It will also be the city’s first building certified to Green Globes standards, meaning it is being constructed to meet elevated benchmarks for environmental sustainability, health and wellness.
The new hall is also expected to be the first building in that part of the city to require further municipal servicing work, including additional sanitary infrastructure.
Funding and Timeline
Fire Hall No. 4 was first approved as part of St. Albert’s 2020 municipal capital budget, with an estimated cost of about $26.5 million. The city acquired the land for the project through its capital projects branch in 2021, and site zoning and servicing plans were unanimously approved by council during a bylaw hearing on May 5. Construction is expected to be completed in 2028.
The groundbreaking comes as St. Albert council recently signed a 2.5-year contract extension with Alberta’s Emergency Health Services, maintaining the city’s ground ambulance and fire service model through 2029.
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