ST. PAUL – During the Nov. 14 County of St. Paul Council meeting, St. Paul Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich informed council that the construction of its fire training facility is nearing completion. But, some work still needs to be done that could require the County’s help.
Kotowich asked if the County would consider assembling two shipping containers over the winter months to prepare for live-fire training next year. Assembly will include putting up “flange fire platform prop, a set of external metal stairs to the upper shipping container, along with a little bit of work to reinforce the inside shipping containers,” explained Kotowich.
He said it will take roughly 120 hours of work to complete the assembly, and would cost about $12,000 in materials, paid for by the St. Paul Firefighters Association.
“This project has only been possible with the hundreds of volunteer hours spent by members of the fire department in ensuring the work is completed. Also, to date, we have not asked for any municipal tax dollars to be expended on this project,” said Kotowich.
Reeve Glen Ockerman asked administration if staff had the hours to put in the work.
Andy Petterson, construction manager for the County of St. Paul, said the County could work on the assembly of the shipping containers, but it wouldn’t be able to put in the full 120 hours of work all at once. “But just pick away at it over the next few months,” he said.
Kotowich was pleased with the response, explaining they also fully expect that the job will not be the first priority for the municipality.
The department hopes the fire training facility would be ready to be used by spring or around late April, “for the current class so that we don’t have to travel to our neighbouring municipalities [for live-fire training],” said the fire chief.
Coun. Darrell Younghans motioned to move forward with the project. The motion was carried.
During Kotowich’s presentation, the fire chief also thanked all those who have helped with the construction of the facility, including corporate donations from TC Energy, Enbridge, and Canadian Natural Resources, “along with many other initiatives that have ensured us enough capital to see this project through.”
He also thanked the County of St. Paul and the Town of St. Paul for their continued assistance.
For example, earlier this year, the County helped with some groundwork to allow for proper water drainage at the facility. And with the Town pouring a 40’x40’ concrete pad, “We are now that much closer to completion.”
Kotowich also told council, that not only will the live-fire training facility allow firefighters in the area to train without travelling to other municipalities, but other benefits include the facility’s potential as a revenue generator for the Town and County.
“[The] biggest in the short-term is to save dollars for us to not send people out,” said Kotowich.
