Whitehorse's new fire hall is officially up and running

The new fire hall in Whitehorse, which has a$3.8 million price tag, officially opened on Thursday.

Fire Hall #1,which firefighters haved already settled into, is a two-storey building with three vehicle bays and room for equipment and firefighting gear.It also includes living space with three dorm rooms and some amenities like a shower and exercise equipment.

"It's hard to believe the old fire hall lasted 53 years," said Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis.

Recycled steel

Some of the building is recycled.

The City of Whitehorse purchased the downtown lot and an old garage in 1994.

The original steel structure from the Motorways garage and some concrete was retained for the new project which was entirely funded by the City of Whitehorse.

Architect was longtime fire chief

The building'sdesigner architect was Yukoner Charles McLaren who died in June 2020.

A volunteer firefighter for more than 25 years, McLaren was also a longtime fire chief of Golden Horn's volunteer fire department.

Quicker response time

The new building is near the Kwanlin Dn Cultural Centre and allows quick access to Second Avenue by a nearby intersection.

The nearby traffic light has a device which is supposed to recognize siren soundsand give firefighters agreen light,andspeed up response times.

This system is still being tested.

Whitehorse's old fire hall saw trucks merge directly onto a busier section of Second Avenue which sometimes proved awkward or time-consuming.

As per modern conventions on safety, the fire halldoes not have a pole for firefighters to slide down.

Instead gear is kept on the first floormetres away from the trucks.

The fire hall is designed to have people on site 24 hours a day all year, serving as a "quasi-home to the men and women who wear the uniform. They'll likely spend more time within these walls than they do in their own homes," said Whitehorse Fire Chief Jason Everitt.

Whitehorse's old fire hall will be replaced and possibly demolished as part of a plan to renew city hall.