Algonquin Highlands council has been told it should develop a long-term plan for replacing its Station 60 fire hall in Dorset – one of 29 recommendations outlined in a new fire master plan tabled in mid-August.
Terry Gervais of Peterborough-based consultancy firm Loomex Group said the document, delivered Aug. 14, provides an outline for the Algonquin Highlands Fire Department for the next five to 10 years.
It’s designed to help forecast unforeseeable costs and prevent future large costs through maintenance and pre-planning, while ensuring the department meets all firefighting guidelines and provincial legislation.
Gervais said the station in Dorset, located at 1060 Main St. across from the rec centre, is 47 years old, having been constructed in 1978. He suggested the building is nearing the end of its life.
“The main issues are limited space… it doesn’t have any shower facilities, has a limited common area and has drainage issues,” Gervais wrote in his report. “The facility is also not compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.”
No estimates were provided on costs to replace the 3,344 sq. ft. site, though Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen confirmed it is on council’s radar.
“We acknowledge there is some work to be done, particularly at Dorset… we’re keeping an eye on available land and are starting to think about what we can do. We’re looking at other departments, possible partnerships, and how we can move forward with this,” Danielsen said, with Station 60 having a good working relationship with the Lake of Bays fire department.
The Stanhope station, constructed in 1973, and the Oxtongue Lake station, built between 1980-85 and upgraded in 2019, are both “adequate for current service levels,” Gervais added.
Despite their fair current condition, he recommended council start saving now for future seven-to-eight figure replacements, while also encouraging funding be made available to replace roofs, windows and key infrastructure as needed.
Finding a way to bolster staffing levels was also advised. Currently, the department is operating at 90 per cent capacity. It’s permitted to carry up to 55 staff, though only had 50 as of Aug. 14 – 25 based out of Stanhope, 15 in Dorset and 10 in Oxtongue Lake. Fire chief Michael French said the department has a mutual aid agreement with Dwight to assist with any structure fires.
Danielsen said she has been worried about staffing levels for years. Gervais said it’s a byproduct of the Highlands’ demographics, with 40.8 per cent of the township’s population as of the 2021 Census – 2,588 full-time and 2,400 seasonal residents – over the age of 65.
“It is not uncommon for a department to lose 10-20 per cent of its volunteer workforce each year, which means a complete turnover is possible within five to 10 years,” Gervais said. “Historically, the department has faced recruitment and retention challenges… [it] should consider offering its firefighters additional benefits, such as pension plans.”
Investigating response times, Gervais said they had increased from an average of 19 minutes and 37 seconds in 2019 to 38 minutes and 25 seconds in 2023. The department responded to nine fires in 2019, four in 2020, three in 2021, 10 in 2022 and three in 2023. The average dollar loss was $1,060,800.
Gervais’ other key recommendations included increasing the wash capacity of the extractor at Stanhope used to clean equipment; developing a replacement plan for all self-contained breathing apparatus; forming peer support and critical incident stress management teams to assist with firefighters’ mental health; and improving technology so all stations have access to pre-incident planning information before arriving on-scene.
French and CAO Angie Bird said the township has already made progress on some of the recommendations and would provide quarterly updates to council, which Danielsen liked.
“I do think this is something we need to track on a regular basis to know where we’re at and where we can still improve,” the mayor said.
