The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) is committed to providing efficient emergency response to all residents of Winnipeg. The WFPS is currently working toward the construction of a new permanent station on the site of the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus in Waverley West, located south of Cadboro Road between Kenaston Boulevard and Waverley Street. It's anticipated the new station (Station 15) will be operational in 2025, subject to Council's approval of the budget.
To better serve residents in Waverley West in the short term, the WFPS is seeking to install a temporary, pre-built station at 110 Eaglewood Dr. The temporary station could be operational in late 2023, and would house a fire engine and crew until a permanent station can be completed. The temporary pre-built station would ensure crews can get to emergency calls in the area faster, providing better service to Waverley West.
WFPS hosted a public information session for residents who wanted to learn more about the temporary pre-built station, timelines, how it will benefit the community, and what it would look like.
See the presentation for more information.
Background
On June 26, 2020, City Council approved the WFPS's 2020 Strategic Direction, to help ensure current and future demands for fire and paramedic service are met. The Strategic Direction noted that many of the stations needed total replacement or significant renovations, as they were no longer able to meet the needs of a modern emergency service.
The Strategic Direction also noted that some of the stations were not ideally located to provide timely response in emergencies. In other cases, the area that a station is responsible to cover in the event of an emergency overlapped with another. As such, recommendations suggested consolidating the number of stations from 30 to 23 would be more efficient, while still allowing the WFPS to provide timely emergency response.
The Strategic Direction recommends adding a new fire-paramedic station in Waverley West with a proposed location in the Bison Drive/Brady Road area. While the exact location proposed was unavailable, WFPS secured available land at the closest appropriate location on City-owned land as part of the future South Winnipeg Recreation Campus. Analysis shows that this location will allow the WFPS to provide good coverage to current and future development in the area.
To free up an engine and crew for Waverley West, the WFPS is currently working to combine Station 9, located at 864 Marion St., and Station 15, located at 1083 Autumnwood Dr. into a new, modern station on the site of the current Station 15 and the former library next to it. The move to combine, or in other words consolidate, the stations will not impact emergency response times in that area, as the coverage areas for the two stations currently overlap. The demolition of the current Station 15 will begin in spring 2023, freeing up a fire engine to be deployed to Waverley West.
Construction of the permanent Waverley West station is not anticipated to start until spring 2024, with completion expected in the fall of 2025, subject to Council's approval of the budget.
To improve service in the Waverley West area in the interim, the WFPS will locate a temporary pre-built station at 110 Eaglewood Dr. The City put out an expression of interest for businesses who may have been interested in leasing land to house a temporary, pre-built station. With no submissions received, the City selected the land at Eaglewood Drive because it is City-owned land that is well-situated to provide fast emergency response in the area without interfering with the anticipated construction of the permanent station. A fire engine and crew will be deployed from the location and provide emergency response coverage to the area in advance of the new permanent station's completion.
Frequently asked questions
Temporary station
With the increasing population in Waverley West, emergency response needs have increased too. Instead of sending responders from other neighbourhoods, it is more efficient to have a station based out of Waverley West.
The permanent station in Waverley West is expected to be completed in late 2025, subject to Council's approval of the budget. In the meantime, a temporary station will allow for responders to be based out of the area before the permanent station is complete.
The rationale for how resources will be positioned throughout the city is laid out in the WFPS's 2020 Strategic Direction.
Having emergency responders nearby will improve response times for emergencies in the area. While they may get dispatched to other nearby areas as needed, crews and resources will be positioned strategically to ensure an effective and timely response, and improve current response times.
At 110 Eaglewood Dr., on the southern end of the green space.
The Eaglewood Drive location was chosen based on the availability of City-owned land. Construction of the temporary station on or closer to the site of the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus was not possible, as a temporary structure located there may interfere with the construction activities planned on the site.
To construct and operate a station from the Eaglewood Drive location, zoning needs to be changed.
The City issued an expression of interest to see if any other locations in the area were available to host a temporary station. No private land owners expressed an interest. In the end, the Eaglewood Drive location was selected because it is City-owned land that is well-situated to provide fast emergency response in the area without interfering with construction of the permanent station. The land is also ideal for a pre-built station because it requires minimal site preparation, since it's currently a green space.
It's anticipated that construction will begin in fall 2023, and completed by late 2023. The station can be up-and-running quickly because it is pre-built and it is simpler to position it on the land than build a brand-new station from the ground up. There will be some small changes to the curb, road, and water and electrical supply needed, but the construction will be minimal compared to the tasks required to build a permanent station from the ground up.
During construction, there may be some additional noise and minor traffic impacts.
Total funding of $3.5 million is included as part of the City's 2023 and 2024 capital budgets. This temporary pre-built station may be used in future construction projects, or as needed.
Only one acre of the 7.2 acres will be affected. The station will be placed on the very far edge, and will only be in place temporarily until the permanent station opens.
If the site is not needed for other City services, the City will return the green space to its original condition by removing concrete and replacing grass as necessary.
Traffic is not expected to increase significantly near the site of the temporary station, and all WFPS members must abide by the rules set out in the Highway Traffic Act.
There may be some noise when an emergency response vehicle is travelling to an emergency.
Permanent station
In June 2020, Council approved the WFPS's 2020 Strategic Direction, which laid out a number of large-scale projects by priority. Building a station in Waverley West is scheduled for 2025, pending Council's approval of the budget.
In the meantime, building a temporary pre-built station will allow the WFPS to assign resources and crews to the area well in advance of the permanent station's completion.
The station is planned to be part of the land at the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus.
It's anticipated the new permanent station (Station 15) will be operational in 2025, subject to Council's approval.
There will be a minimum of one engine and crew at the station.