A new fire station is coming to the southeast end of Barrie.
Officials broke ground during a press conference on Monday for the construction of Barrie Fire & Emergency Service Station 6.
The station will be at Mapleview Drive East and Prince William Way, with an estimated completion date of 2025.
A webpage about the project on the City of Barrie's website says construction will take roughly 14–18 months.
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall spoke at the event, saying with the city expanding and new development of housing in the southeast, a fire station was needed.
Nuttall even referenced events that require emergency services, such as the tornado in 2021.
"Having tornadoes come through - a bit of a tornado alley between Angus and here - and ensuring that we have emergency services closer to these types of events," Nuttall said.
Derek Wilson, Acting Fire Chief for Barrie Fire and Emergency Service, added that the location of the new station has been in the plans for a while.
"It was identified about a decade ago and it's been several years of work through our facilities team to get this project up and running," said Wilson.
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The mayor said the project is in the neighbourhood of $12 million.
"It's being designed with sustainability in mind," said Nuttall.
"Featuring energy-efficient systems, and electric infrastructure, and it's ready for solar energy integration at the appropriate time. It'll be equipped with modern firefighting equipment and technology, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services in our community."
The city says the facility will support a crew of five staff per shift and have a garage bay with space for two aerial fire trucks.
"This fire station will be an important addition," said Wilson.
"It'll ensure the residents have the exceptional level of service the men and women of Barrie Fire and Emergency Service provide them. With an eye to sustainable building and operation, this facility will be a centrepiece for the community for years to come."
