Fire Location Study

The Fire Station location study is intended to provide fire response model options for the community to consider, the most recent phase 2 report was received by Committee and the following concerns were cited:

• Eight of the ten existing fire stations in the Township will be over the 40 year service life in the next 10 years.
• Most fire stations in Muskoka Lakes require health and safety improvements to meet current regulations.
• The existing fire station sites offer overlap in response coverage.
• Space and Storage requirements are the most cited issue for all the buildings, causing the Township to purchase custom vehicles to fit the fire stations and park some vehicles in temporary shelters.

The most recent phase 2 report concerning the Fire Station Locations study offers three options to be considered by Committee. Option one is status quo of ten stations, options two is a seven station model that builds off of previous recommendations, and option three is an optimal response model of five new sites. All of these options have timelines to implement up to 30 years in the future, this study is intended to maintain the high quality fire protection response that the community expects while balancing investment in physical assets required to meet the service level commitments.

This next step of the Fire Station Location Study is seeking feedback from the public, community groups and firefighters. This feedback will inform a final Fire Station Location Study report that is intended to be used in the service level review. Feedback sessions are being planned now and will be posted soon, including virtual options. We hope that you can join us to learn more about the Fire Station Location Study and we also look forward to your participation in the feedback sessions.