What’s Wrong with Fire Hall #2 in Heriot Bay?
As published in the Discovery Islander on February 7, 2025, page 4
As you may have read in the last issue of the DI, the South Quadra Island Fire Protection District is planning to build a replacement fire hall in Heriot Bay. We will be conducting an Alternative Approval Process (AAP) between February 12th and March 27th, 2025 as we seek to gain approval from property owners in the Fire Protection District to borrow funds to construct a new hall. The window for submitting Owner Response Forms will be February 20th to March 27th. In the meantime we will be communicating with Quadra Islanders in various ways, including regular articles in the DI, in an effort to share valuable information about this project and the AAP process.
Today we would like to take a deeper dive into the reasons why the current fire hall in Heriot Bay needs to be replaced. Several years ago, the staff and trustees completed a full assessment of Hall #2. They found that Hall #2 is very weak in regards to volunteer safety and compliance with WorkSafe BC, BC Building Code, and Fire Code requirements. This is not surprising as it was built in 1970 out of cinder blocks and not only has the building aged, standards for fire halls have changed since then. Specifically, Hall #2 is:
Not compliant with WorkSafe BC standards
Not compliant with safety standards for fire halls
Inadequate space to accommodate current or future equipment and personnel needs
Without water or septic capabilities (it has no water supply or waste water disposal system nor potential for either in the future)
Not built to seismic post-disaster standards (would not withstand an earthquake)
Not energy efficient
Inadequate space on the lot to store water in the ground
Constructed on leased land
The trustees considered the option to retrofit and renovate the existing building. This option was voted down due to lack of water and septic on the site, the fact that the site is leased and not owned, the age and size of the building, the size of the lot, and seismic issues.
The option to build a new structure on previously purchased land was voted as the best use of taxpayer funds as it would provide a safe building and address the list of ongoing concerns.
In a future issue of the DI we will share information about the design of the proposed new hall and how it will be safer for firefighters and the community.
Where can I find out more?
For more information and to sign up for email updates please go to www.qifirehall2.ca.
We encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions, either by email QIfirehallreplacement@gmail.
We will be holding a number of Open Houses and will be publishing information about them in the Discovery Islander and the Bird’s Eye, as well as putting the information on our website www.qifirehall2.ca and sending it to our email list. Until next time!
– The Trustees of the South Quadra Island Fire Protection District