Comox Begins Planning Process On Firehall Upgrade

Comox Council is moving forward with the development of a design and financial plan for a significant upgrade to the Comox Fire Rescue station.

Built in 1977, the current fire station has exceeded its functional lifespan and no longer meets the operational requirements of the department.

Essential facilities such as showers, washrooms, offices, kitchen and meeting spaces are inadequate for the current number of firefighters and staff.

The fire station is jointly owned by the Town of Comox and the Comox Fire Protection District.

The cost of the upgrade is shared between the two partners, two-thirds funded by the Town and one-third by the Fire Protection District (Area B).

When our fire station opened in 1978, we had one full-time firefighter and 20 paid-on-call firefighters responding to about 70 calls per year,” said Fire Chief Gord Schreiner.

“Today, we have eight full-time firefighters and 52 paid-on-call firefighters responding to over 900 incidents annually. We’ve simply outgrown the space.”

The facility also faces other challenges, including inadequate training areas, aging electrical systems, a leaking roof, a lack of accessibility and construction that does not meet current standards for disaster resilience.

The approved upgrade will prioritize a major replacement of the office wing, transforming it from its current 4,200 square feet to a three-story, 10,000-square-foot facility, with more boardrooms and classrooms, and more showers and washers with a dedicated decontamination area.

The top floor will feature five hotel-style suites with a shared common area, providing affordable housing for paid-on-call members.

That’s meant to enhance emergency response times, particularly at night, and support future full-time staffing needs.

There will also be minor improvements to the truck bays, including a new roof and sprinkler system, which will improve building safety and longevity.

For more details on the planning and priority areas for the building upgrade, visit Town of Comox.