'A long time coming': Aurora and Newmarket build first joint fire station

Fire hall to also house Central York Fire Services' headquarters and training centre

Yorkregion.com
July 27, 2020

For the first time in the 18-year history of the amalgamated Central York Fire Services, Aurora and Newmarket are building a joint fire station.

“I think it’s an amazing deal for Aurora and Newmarket,” Chief Ian Laing said.

“It’s going to, I think, make a very positive impact on the level of service we can provide to both communities. It’s a big step forward for us.”

Construction is underway on the $13.5-million project on Earl Stewart Drive, a block south of St. John’s Sideroad.

At 24,000 square feet, two-and-a-half times the size of a standard hall, the station will house fire suppression crews on the first floor and the department’s new headquarters and training facility on the second floor.

The headquarters is now in the Gorham Street station in Newmarket and the existing training facility is beside Newmarket’s fairgrounds.

“It (the new station) is a big deal. It’s the largest project from a fire services perspective since we’ve come together or amalgamated,” said project manager Al Downey, also Aurora’s director of operational services.

“They’ve outgrown their facility in Newmarket and they’ve been wanting to combine a headquarters and training facility for a period of time so they were looking for a parcel of land that was as close to the border of Newmarket and Aurora as possible.”

Opening at the end of 2021, the training centre will not only accommodate Central York’s training requirements but can also be leased by fire departments from surrounding areas, Downey said.

The budget, which includes $12 million for construction and $1.5 for architect fees, furniture and training supplies, has increased by $1 million over original estimates as the facility’s design was rejigged, but steps were taken to keep a lid on costs, Downey said.

The need for the station was identified in the 2015 master fire plan, Laing said.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said, adding 40 suppression firefighters will be assigned to the station.

With the existing four stations positioned in the east and west corners of Aurora and Newmarket, a hall in the middle of the communities is needed to serve the growing community, Laing said.

“When you look at it as one big area, there was this big area in the centre that didn’t have protection,” he said.

That wasn’t a problem until recent years when development around St. John’s Sideroad went “crazy,” Laing said.

“Because it wasn’t developed, I think that was probably our saving grace.”

Not only will the station better serve the needs of the immediate vicinity but it will result in more coverage for the entirety of both towns as it reduces response times for backup crews, Laing said.

He likens the station to putting the dot in the middle of a five-dot die.

This month’s station groundbreaking comes just weeks after York Region council again doused a pitch for a regional fire department.

This station shows an amalgamated fire department can make decisions that serve the best needs of a broader community, Laing said.

The hall is a welcome addition to both towns, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor and Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas said.

“The new fire station in Aurora will improve response times in both communities and is a great example how the merging of two fire services continues to work well and provide efficiencies,” Taylor said, adding Newmarket will determine the future use of the existing training centre at Timothy and Pine streets.

Mrakas agreed.

“This facility will act as a fire hall and also have a specialized training area, updated bays and additional new equipment. The station will help to better serve the growing communities of Aurora and Newmarket. I look forward to seeing this important facility,” he said.