New fire stations being built in two rural Maritime communities

New fire stations are in the works in Salisbury, N.B., and Springhill, N.S., offering new amenities and improved safety for volunteer firefighters.

Austin Henderson, chief administrative officer for the Town of Salisbury says the community is in need of the new station.

“It was built in the 70s, and as we can imagine, fire trucks in the 70s in of themselves are not the same size as we see today, let alone all of the equipment that is needed, so space in and of itself was a huge constraint,” said Henderson.

The recent amalgamation means a larger area to cover, says Henderson.

“Our population of the town went from 2,300 to 7,800. In 2024, our volunteer hours are up nine per cent compared to last year.”

The new stations in Salisbury and Springhill will be net zero compliant, which is welcomed by Springhill Fire Department Deputy Chief Matt Ward.

“This current facility doesn’t have a lot the safety mechanisms that a new building would. The new facility is going to provide us with opportunities with the exhaust system in terms of the ability to wash off after coming back from a significant fire,” said Ward.

Ward says the new station will improve response times, but adds that volunteer retention is a problem across Canada.

“Several decades ago there was a waiting list to join your local fire department and today we’re desperately looking for new people. I believe this is because the increased time demands, the change in the types of calls we’re going to with more medical calls, more dramatic type calls and just the lack of resources there for volunteers,” said ward.

Both stations come with a price tag of more than $6 million.

Mayor-elect of Cumberland County Rod Gilroy says their new station comes at the perfect time.

“There’s been a large influx of people both from internally within Canada and externally from other countries, and the value of our building permit over the last couple of years has doubled, so there’s a big boom going on all across the county and more people require more services,” he said.

Ward has a message for anyone thinking about becoming a volunteer.

“A lot of people think to become a firefighter you need to have a certain type of background. I come from an office job background, so there’s likely a role for you if it’s in Springhill or across Canada. If you ever thought about joining a volunteer firefighting service, now is the time.”