An area once used for temporary homes may soon be used to train firefighters to save homes.
TransCanada donated 60-acres of land in the Saddlebrook Industrial Park area, valued at $2-million, to the MD of Foothills to build an emergency service training centre for firefighters during a ceremony at Spruce Meadows on June 11.
The land, located about five miles north of High River along Highway 2A, was used for the Saddlebrook temporary homes area to house residents who were left without a home after the 2013 flood.
The training facility is a joint project between the MD and the Town of High River.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said MD of Foothills Fire Chief Jim Smith. “It means we can not only train and mentor our members in a hall, but we can have live fire situations and other live situations like motor vehicle excavations.”
At present, MD firefighters are doing training out of their respective stations. For training with a live situation it’s done at MD land and sometimes, gravel pits.
“We just can’t give them the live situations that this facility will provide,” he said. It will also keep firefighters in the area.
Sending firefighters to the well-known centre in Vermilion has gone by the wayside.
“We can’t because it is so expensive,” Smith said. “We find it very difficult to send a large amount of people up there because then we keep our jurisdiction short.
“Now we can keep our forces inside our jurisdiction and give them good quality training.”
He stressed the MD of Foothills and High River have the personnel to provide training comparable to Vermilion.
MD of Foothills Mayor Larry Spilak said the plans for such a centre has been on the backburner for years, but has gained traction the last three years.
“We have talked about it for the past seven or eight years but the serious talks began in 2013 in response to the flood,” said Spilak.
“It will serve the MD of Foothills and the surrounding area – that is Chestermere, Airdrie and Cochrane.”
Terri Steeves, TransCanada vice-president of gas products, said it’s an extension of its commitment to the MD and the surrounding area.
“TransCanada is really excited to continue to play a part in supporting the local community — the MD of Foothills and the Town of High River,” Steeves said. “When we were called originally in respect to the emergency housing request of 2013 we very quickly mobilized to have that done.”
The work done for the 2013 emergency shelter will dovetail into the training centre.
Some of the construction and services for the emergency shelter can now be used for the proposed training centre.
The land had been an industrial property for TransCanada, but has not been used for several years.
There were plans as far back in the mid-2000s to make a contribution to the community with the TransCanada land.
Spilak could not give a cost, but said it will start small and build on. He did not know when a shovel will be put in the ground to start on the facility.
Although Okotoks is not a partner in the facility, they will have the opportunity to train there.
“They are our partners, our mutual aid partners — we can’t be what we are without them,” Smith said.
Key elements of the proposed centre are:
• Live fire/ burn tower• Vehicle extrication and burn pad• Classroom, outdoor, confined space• Investigation house • liquid fire/ dangerous goods and fire-training props
