Just one year after Ritchot celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their local fire department, the municipality officially opened the doors to their third fire hall, this one in Ste. Agathe, which is expected to provide quicker emergency response to areas in Ritchot’s southern region. It will also supplement existing fire services in St. Adolphe and Île-des-Chênes.

Open house and grand opening ceremonies were held at the new state-of-the-art fire hall on September 20. The event saw a packed house of enthusiastic residents, council members, and developers. Dignitaries on hand included MLA Bob Lagasse, MLA Shannon Martin, Mayor Chris Ewen, and Deputy Fire Commissioner Robert Pike.

“We’d like to thank the contractors whose quality work built this facility,” said Lesley Gaudry, community economic development officer for Ritchot, “[including] L&M Architects, ParkWest Project Managers, the RM’s public works department, and also the committee that’s worked really hard over the last three years to get this beautiful facility built.”

Gaudry extended an invitation for families and individuals to get involved in ongoing sponsorship. A Friends and Family plaque will be erected in their honour.

“I am honoured to be a part of [this] location and, although I was not here when it started, I saw the commitment and process it has taken to bring it to completion, from councillors to admin to the project management team to the fire chief,” said Mayor Ewen. “This process has taken a few years now and I’m sure there are some of you that weren’t sure that there would ever be an end. I can confidently say that our residents will now feel a little safer and a lot more comfortable knowing that they have an emergency response team right down the street… It’s a truly remarkable thing to see the growth in Ste. Agathe, and this fire hall will be a part of that growth.”

Deputy Fire Commissioner Pike also took a moment to congratulate council and the residents of Ritchot on the addition of the new fire hall. But he came with a higher purpose in mind as well. 

“I’m going to talk to you tonight about the Governor General’s Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal,” said Pike. “Canada’s exemplary service medals recognize the men and women who contribute to public safety through long-standing service. [This] medal expresses national gratitude for long and commendable service, particularly in a field of endeavour involving potential risk. Recipients have the mission to safeguard both persons and property from fire and life safety hazards through education, investigations, emergency response, and code application. The person involved in these activities is really working for the safety of their community. This medal recognizes all these contributions.”

This medal of honour was awarded to Ritchot Fire Chief Scott Weir and Deputy Fire Chief Paul Houle for their dedicated service of more than 20 years. 

Ritchot’s new fire hall was built to exacting design standards. The three large fire truck bays are well lit and include in-floor heat as well as optimal exhaust ventilation apparatuses so the trucks can be run indoors during the winter months. 

Firefighter training can take place in a 30-seat classroom equipped with air conditioning and audio-visual equipment, as well as a mezzanine overlooking the truck bays where physical training exercises can be done. Here, firefighters will have the use of smoke machines and darkened masks to learn to navigate scenarios similar to burning buildings with zero visibility. The railings can be removed, allowing trainers to descend from high points using safety anchors and harnesses.

The balance of the building includes offices for the administration staff and fire chief, showers, a washer and dryer, and lockers for the firefighters which are separated from the truck bays to reduce contamination. 

Over and above a vast new volunteer firefighting team to work from this hall, Ritchot has active training officers who will be a huge asset to the department. The new facility can be used as an emergency measures centre as well in the event that one of the other fire halls are located within a danger zone.