‘What a proud day’: Hantsport, NS, firefighters settle in new shelters
HANTSPORT, NS — It was years in the making, but Hantsport firefighters say having a new station to call home was well worth the wait.
Although they officially began moving in on December 24, it wasn’t until June 11 that the fire department opened its doors for an official community celebration.
“We were so pleased with the turnout and the overwhelming community support we received at the open house. The building is a big part of the community and we love sharing it with our residents,” said Paul Maynard, deputy chief of the Hantsport Fire Department.
From 1 to 4 p.m., residents mulled over the fire hall, viewed fire prevention displays, enjoyed additional treats, and learned more about the equipment and what volunteers do on a regular basis.
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Maynard was one of several longtime members involved in the push to see a new station built.
“We started lobbying the municipality for a new station in 2015. After a lot of work, meetings, maybe a few headaches… and with the help of our various stakeholders, we were able to successfully build the new station and move in in December of this year. last year,” he told the crowd gathered at the event.
In 2015, firefighters gave a presentation to the council, citing a host of health and safety issues in their bid to get a new station built, listing everything from poor ventilation and equipment venting to a decommissioned kitchen and a cramped fire space that resulted in a number of near-misses between personnel and firefighters.
In June 2021, the City of West Hants awarded a contract to Avondale Construction. On July 6, 2021, construction and demolition began at 5 Oak St.. The original plan was for the new station to be completed by Christmas.
“While construction was underway, we temporarily moved the station to Chittick Avenue, to the Public Works depot,” Maynard said.
Christmas 2021 came and went. The return date became a moving target as there were numerous delays. Membership finally got the green light to move to the new station on Christmas Eve 2022 – and the first fire call came in within an hour of setting up.
Maynard praised the volunteer firefighters for their dedication, patience and for always standing up to help.
“There was no interruption in service to our community at all, which was great.”
He also thanked the Windsor Fire Department for storing one of Hantsport’s trucks, and community members for storing non-essential items.
West Hants Mayor Abraham Zebian called the open house “a fantastic day”, noting that the firefighters deserved the new post.
“Paul had previously said that they started lobbying in 2015. It wasn’t so much lobbying. We always knew that a station here needed to be renovated,’ says Zebian.
“Anyone who walked through (the old building) … a member or volunteer, or relative of the volunteers, understood the great liability. Not to the congregation or to the council, but to the actual members who are our brothers, our sisters, our residents, our relatives, our friends. It was the right thing to do and my God, this place is incredible. What a proud day.”
West Hants MLA Melissa Sheehy-Richard said it was a “beautiful facility, one that was long overdue” and thanked the volunteers for always answering the call – either locally, or responding to needs elsewhere in the county.
Maynard said the past few weeks had been exhausting, with firefighters not only covering regular calls in the community, but also helping to fight the wildfires elsewhere in the county. Maynard said members donated hundreds of hours of manpower to fight the unprecedented wildfires.
“And they still found time this past week to come down and clean our trucks and clean the station in preparation for the open house,” he noted.
Several hundred people showed up during the afternoon open house.
The fire service is now looking ahead and eagerly awaits the arrival of the department’s new cherry picker in 2024.
Carole Morris-Underhill is the editor-in-chief of the Valley Journal Advertiser. She can be reached by email at carole.morris-underhill@
