Panic room at new Sarnia fire station

A new fire station in Sarnia has officially opened.

No. 3 Hall includes innovative safety features designed not only for firefighters but also for the public.

It replaces the old fire hall which dates back to the mid-1950s. Until two weeks ago, it had stood right in front of the new one.

Inside the new quarters, there is little nostalgia for the old station, according to one Sarnia fire captain, you can’t really compare it.

“The other hall has been here many years. There are firefighters who have been retired for 10 years or so that thought they were getting a new hall many years ago, so yeah, it was well overdue,” said Mike Land.

The new station includes improved quarters for sleeping, a weight room, and modern kitchen facilities. It also includes inclusive washroom facilities.

“The old station was built with men in mind and nothing further than that. So, the new station really identifies a diverse workforce,” said Chief Bryan Van Gaver during a tour.

Sarnia Fire Chief Bryan Van Gaver as seen on Jan. 30, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)No. 3 station cost $ 7.6 million. All but $ 1.3 million was paid for by higher levels of government.

For Van Gaver, its completion is a personal milestone. He told CTV News London it was important for him to ensure the station was operational before his retirement next month.

He takes pride in the new station’s fully separated areas for clean and dirty equipment and is proud of the seemingly empty room at the front of the building.

A button to engage a publicly accessible emergency response panic room inside a new fire hall in Sarnia, Ont. Jan. 30, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)The space will soon be an operational panic room for anyone in danger passing by.

“They can immediately come into that room, hit a button, and it immediately locks any intruders out of that area. And, they also have the capabilities of alerting other firefighters in the station.”

No other new fire stations are planned in Sarnia, but a major renovation of its Bright’s Grove station is proposed for 2025.