Fire hall project delayed again, fire chief offers explanation

The new South Fire Hall project is facing more delays with November now the new target for when it could open. Fire chief Michael Mio acknowledges the frustrations people have, but is encouraging people to be patient as it is a building that is designed to last 50-60 years.

The construction of the new Amherstburg fire hall has been delayed once again.

It was learned late last week, thanks to a post from Councillor Molly Allaire on social media, that the project has been delayed until at least November. When the groundbreaking occurred, the goal was to have the building ready for around this time last year.

Fire chief Michael Mio has acknowledged the delays and is offering an explanation as to what is happening.

“We understand the frustrations around completing the project because we all share them. Our firefighters, administration and Council all want this building completed, and the contractor is well aware of it,” said Mio. “Nobody wants to get into the new hall more than we do. We want proper decontamination facilities, proper storage for our gear and a modern facility where our firefighters can safely do their jobs.” 

Mio states the new hall is an important part of the town’s Master Fire Protection Plan, their station realignment and their goal of better positioning the Amherstburg Fire Department to serve the community. 

“As I have said before, we are not building this fire hall for the next five years; we’re building it for the next 50 or 60 years. That is why, despite our frustrations, we must be patient to ensure it is done right,” the fire chief stated. “When the fire hall was first proposed, the Town hired an architect to design the facility and prepare the plans. Once the design was complete, the Town tendered the construction work through a competitive tendering process. Municipal procurement rules must be followed to ensure public money is spent through a fair and accountable process. It’s the law.”

According to Mio: “Municipalities cannot simply choose a contractor because they are local or preferred. We have to follow the rules, treat bidders fairly and protect taxpayers. Those rules exist for good reason, even when they sometimes limit the flexibility a municipality might otherwise have.

The successful contractor entered into a stipulated-price contract, commonly called a fixed-price or lump-sum contract. The contract provides the Town with an important degree of cost certainty, but that does not mean circumstances can never change. Construction contracts include processes for dealing with changes, schedule impacts, claims and disputes.” 

Mio stated that a delay does not automatically determine responsibility. The chief added that additional costs experienced by the contractor don’t automatically become the responsibility of taxpayers. 

“Our responsibility is to follow the contract, protect the Town’s interests and, ultimately, protect our taxpayers,” he said.

The contractor also has a desire to complete the work as there are other projects they have to move on to, the fire chief said.

“The contractor has now been mobilized on site for almost 22 months. I can assure everyone that isn’t something they wanted either. Maintaining supervision, management, and equipment on a project for an extended period costs money and prevents those resources from moving to other work. Everyone has an interest in finishing this project,” he said.

Mio added the town’s expectations have been “clear from the start.” He said he, manager of engineering and operations Todd Hewitt, and CAO Valerie Critchley have all remained actively involved since the start. 

“We’ve attended project meetings and met weekly with the architect and project team to review progress, address concerns, and work through outstanding items, all the while doing our day to day jobs,” said Mio. “We also recognize that this project has been constructed during some of the most challenging times of our lives. The contractor has dealt with subcontractor and trade coordination, skilled-labour pressures, equipment and material availability, supply-chain issues, weather, tariffs, and trade uncertainty.”

A modern fire hall “contains much more than steel and concrete,” he continued. 

“It includes electrical and mechanical equipment, HVAC, emergency power, controls, communications, specialized doors and many other components. One delayed component or trade affects the work that follows,” said Mio. “People have also asked why this building is larger than some other fire halls in the area. The answer is simple: this isn’t just a fire hall. The new facility will bring many of our fire department’s operations together under one roof, including fire suppression, fire prevention, training and administration, along with emergency management and our emergency operations centre.”

Mio said administration will be located alongside operational staff, and the training division will have a  room where firefighters can come together for training, certification, operational briefings and professional development.

“That training has become even more important with Ontario’s mandatory firefighter certification,” said Mio. “Training isn’t something our firefighters complete once. They must continually train, maintain their skills and prepare for situations we hope they never encounter.”

The building, located just east the intersection of Simcoe St. and Meloche Road, will also house emergency management and the town’s emergency operations centre. 

“During severe storms, flooding, prolonged power failures, industrial incidents, or other significant emergencies, we need a facility that can continue operating and help coordinate the Town’s response,” said Mio. “But perhaps the most important part of this building is firefighter safety. We know much more today about firefighter occupational exposure and cancer than we did when many of our existing stations were built. Firefighters can return from calls with contaminants on their equipment, protective clothing and themselves. This facility has been designed with that reality in mind, providing the proper separation and decontamination areas needed to help protect our firefighters—and ultimately their families.”

The chief said the new hall will include proper decontamination facilities and separation between potentially contaminated and clean areas. 

“We want our firefighters to be able to clean themselves and their equipment properly and reduce the chance of bringing contaminants into their vehicles or, most importantly, into their homes,” he said. “If we know how to make the job safer for our firefighters, we have an obligation to do it. That’s also why simply saying ‘just get it finished’ isn’t enough.”

Mio said he understands people’s frustrations with the project, but “if something isn’t right, the time to address it is now, not five, 10 or 20 years from now when our firefighters and taxpayers are living with the consequences.”

“This building will be here long after the people involved in its construction are gone. We can push for completion without compromising safety or quality. In the end, it’s about our people,” he said. “Through all the discussion about contracts, schedules, tariffs and construction, it is easy to lose sight of who this building is actually for. Our people.”

Mio added “this isn’t about giving our firefighters something extravagant” but rather to give them a safe, functional facility, proper training space and the tools they need. 

“Right now, the delay feels significant because we’re living through it. Fifty years from now, it will be a footnote. What will matter is whether we made the right decisions,” he said. “I’m proud of our full-time firefighters. I’m proud of our volunteers. I’m proud of fire prevention, training and emergency management, and I’m proud of the way they represent our Town. So yes, I want the doors open. I wanted them open sooner. We all do.”

Mio added: “The hall will get done. The trucks will move in. Our firefighters will make it their home, and then they’ll do what they’ve always done — answer the call and give their all to this community.”

Allaire told the RTT she is frustrated by the process. She said she voted in opposition earlier this term due to concerns with the process but will do her best to assist where possible.

“Now that the decision is made, I will step up and help where I can because we’re too far in the process to do anything else,” said Allaire.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the new fire hall occurred in Sept. 2024 with the originally occupancy date planned for Aug. 2025.

Fire hall project delayed again - fire chief offers explanation

By Ron Giofu