New BWG firehall hosts official grand opening (22 photos)

The Bradford West Gwillimbury Fire and Emergency Services officially celebrated the grand opening of its new firehall, Fire Station 1, on Wednesday.

The open house gave the community the opportunity to take tours, enjoy refreshments, and even take pictures at the selfie wall.

“Bradford Fire and Emergency Services is proud to finally open our doors to the community,” said Brent Thomas, BWG Fire Chief. “With our primary goal being to serve and protect our community and its visitors, we truly believe this building will help us do our life work of public safety and fire protection more efficiently.

“We are proud of our new facility and sincerely thank Council, the community, and all those who helped shape the firehall into what it is today. We are certain this new facility will meet BWG’s expected needs and growth demands in years to come and we welcome you to come and celebrate our official opening with us.”

The firehall has been occupied since October 2021 after a 15-month new build project, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the official grand opening was delayed until this week.

“If you take a tour, you’ll see some empty spaces, and that’s intentional,” added Thomas. “We didn’t want to be in a building where a few years from now we’re looking for renovation dollars. We built this as a 25 to 50-year building with services that can be developed when the time comes and that’s what those spaces are for. We’re ready to grow and protect you and our community in this building.”

Newly re-elected York-Simcoe MPP Carolyn Mulroney, Mayor Rob Keffer, and members of council were in attendance to commemorate the opening.

“It’s essential that we work together to invest in projects that help to support our community,” said Mulroney. “It’s been a pleasure to work alongside so many people here to get this done and it’s an honour to be here for the grand opening of the Fire Station 1. Starting today, our community is finally able to see how truly special this facility is.

“Station 1 will help our firefighters excel in keeping the people of Bradford West Gwillimbury safe. Our firefighters are absolutely heroes and we’re so fortunate to have some of the best and brightest right here in Bradford. Every day they come to work ready to take on anything to keep us safe and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to every firefighter.”

The new firehall is a 19,000-square-foot facility that was designed with diversity and inclusion in mind as well as the future growth needs of local fire service.

“After months of waiting, I’m proud to unveil this spectacular facility and officially welcome the community to the new home of Bradford Fire and Emergency Services,” said Keffer. “Station 1 was designed and built with a growing community in mind and I’m confident it will serve BWG for decades to come. A big thank you to all involved in building this new station.

“This project came in on time and under budget, that’s certainly music to the ears of every member of council and every member of our community, and we have the whole community to thank for that. As much as today is about celebrating Fire Station 1, I’d like to thank and pay special recognition to our past and current fire staff for their level of commitment to our community. Thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do for the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and our residents.”

In addition to being a fully accessible (AODA compliant) building and home to the primary Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), the new building features boardrooms and a training room, a community room (available to all community members), dorms, a gym, a kitchen and dining area, and four oversized drive-through bays to house six apparatus leaving one bay available for training and future growth.

“I’m very impressed with what this station brings to the community and to the staff and the firefighters who serve under this station,” said Tim Beckett, interim Deputy Fire Marshal. “Bradford West Gwillimbury has seen extensive growth over the last several years, ranking as one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. With the growth comes the additional need of fire safety and prevention throughout the community. This new modern facility will serve this community very well.”

The original firehall was 9,000 square feet and built in 1989. It received minor renovations after Fire and Emergency Services moved out and now houses the Town of BWG’s Urban Transportation/Public Works operation.