Temporary fire hall to go up in Waverley West park

A temporary fire paramedic station will be placed in the corner of a park in Waverley West, the city has decided.

More than a dozen residents had appealed the location of the modular fire hall set to be set up in Eaglewood Park. They raised concerns about the impact it could have on the park and traffic, its proximity to homes, and the potential for more noise.

An appeals committee which included area councillor Janice Lukes denied the appeal, paving way for the structure.

“I’m very supportive of proceeding with this,” said Lukes.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) says the playground and soccer fields on the site will not be impacted and that it expects lights and sirens would only be used on average 1.6 times over a 24-hour period.

City of Winnipeg architect Bruce Pauls told the committee the temporary building is needed because property for a permanent station elsewhere is not yet developed.

“Simply put, the City is at the mercy of the developer’s schedule,” said Pauls.

WFPS Deputy Chief Tim Wallace said the modular hall is necessary to cut response times from 12 minutes to a standard of around six minutes, especially for time-sensitive calls.

“Heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrest, significant respiratory emergencies...structure fires, significant motor vehicle collisions,” said Wallace.

The committee also heard once the modular building is removed within five years, the site might be used for a storage facility and restrooms for the park.

While the councillors cited slashing response times as their reason for denying the appeal, they did have sympathy for those opposed to the temporary location.

Lukes questioned why timing for the permanent building was not better planned and councillor Devi Sharma called it a challenging situation.

“You build a house next to a park to enjoy the park, and you don’t expect this temporary structure is going to come out of nowhere,” said Sharma.

The committee heard 12 spots were examined as potential sites for the modular hall, but the Eaglewood location was chosen because it already has sewer and water service, is connected to a major street, and is close to Kenaston Boulevard.