By Sam Donnelly
For the Bashaw Star
Camrose County recently opened a new fire hall to serve the communities of Ferintosh, New Norway and Edberg called the Camrose County Regional Firehall No. 2.
The new firehouse sits along Highway 609 between Ferintosh and Edberg just east of Range Road 211. It has four bay doors, a training/meeting area, a kitchenette and a locker/workroom.
According to Reeve Cindy Trautman, the Division 2 councillor for Camrose County, the firehouse also has excellent highway and water access.
The new firehouse was built after the dissolution of the Village of Ferintosh on Jan. 1, 2020. The community then became a hamlet within Camrose County.
The new firehall is the second county-owned fire department in the area. According to Trautman, the choice to combine the three fire departments will allow better-centralized coverage around the area.
The firehall also consolidates the cost of running two county fire halls and one village fire hall to just one. It will act as a central location for equipment, meaning that money can be invested into improved equipment.
Trautman said that the location of the firehouse was in a great position to allow for easy access to water, as it is along the Highway 12/21 Water Commission line. The central location of the firehouse also allows for greater coverage of the area.
Trautman said that another benefit of the new firehouse is that a large number of the volunteer firefighters live close to the new firehouse, so response times should not increase.
Construction on the new firehouse began in mid-2021 and was completed by the end of the year.
According to Trautman, the project cost $825,000 with $725,000 funded by a Municipal Stimulus Grant and another $100,000 coming from reserves. The new firehouse became operational on Jan. 1, 2022.
The fire halls in Ferintosh and New Norway will no longer be used for fire services. According to Trautman, they will most likely be sold. Whether or not the Village of Edberg will decide to do the same is unknown at this time.
For residents in Bashaw, there is little worry about having their fire service disrupted. When the fire services in Edberg, Ferintosh, and New Norway were consolidated, fire district boundaries were adjusted. Bashaw’s fire service for example has spread its influence more north.
There are plans to have an open house at the new firehall. Camrose County and the regional firehall Chief and deputy chiefs will work together to plan a day that will showcase the new regional firehall, the volunteer fire department and their equipment.
Those wishing to attend should follow Camrose County’s Facebook page for dates and times.
