The fire hall in La Loche officially opened last week. (Submitted photo/Derek Herman)

By Derek Cornet

emergency services

Community bingos fund construction of new La Loche fire hall

Nov 5, 2021 | 2:50 PM

A new 4,800-square-foot hall will serve the La Loche Fire Department well into the future.

“We have a bigger space here and more room. We even have a space to do some training,” said Fire Chief Derek Herman. “The other building we had was very small. It’s an older building.”

Herman explained construction of the fire hall began two years ago, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shutdowns and issues with shipping. The department was finally able to move into the two-bay building last week.

The new facility is more centrally located in La Loche, which Herman expects will allow the firefighters to respond to calls faster. He also mentioned the department recently bought new unforms and other supplies.

“It’s very important to have this new building,” Herman said. “In the future, we will probably get a new truck, too.”

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La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois mentioned residents are excited to see the fire hall open. Much of the costs of construction was raised through community bingos and the village donated the lot.

The fire hall includes two large bays for fire trucks. (Submitted photo/Derek Herman)

Construction of the building began about two years ago but faced delays. (Submitted photo/Derek Herman)

There’s currently 10 firefighters involved with the department, five of which joined only recently. Aside from Herman who is employed full-time, firefighters work on a volunteer basis.

“We’ve had, over the years, a remarkable group who work with the fire department who give their time and energy to make sure that there is the La Loche Fire Department,” Jolibois said. “They are reliable and they keep up to date with training they can get.”

Jolibois also believes the facility will prove useful when the community is faced with wildfires or other potential emergency situations.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno