In April 2016 Edmonton Fire Rescue Services will begin the tender process for the revitalization of Castle Downs Fire Station. The tender process will take 8-10 weeks to complete. During this time fire crews will remain at Castle Downs Fire Station. Upon the completion of the tender process, resources from Station 17 will be temporarily redeployed to nearby Hagmann Station 8 and Lake District Station 25 to facilitate necessary renovations. 

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services does not anticipate this temporary redeployment of resources will cause any measurable change in full first-alarm response time benchmarks.

During the revitalization, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services will redeploy resources from the Castle Downs Fire Station 17 to nearby Hagmann Station 8 and Lake District Station 25. After much research, this temporary redeployment option was deemed the best possible solution. Crews will also be driving routes within the Castle Downs community for district familiarization.

The City of Edmonton and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services explored various options to temporary redeploy Castle Downs Station operations within the Castle Downs area. Considerations we have reviewed include repurposing existing corporate assets or securing a suitable commercial space. However, these options did not meet our operational needs.

Building a new fire station would require significantly more time and money. The Station 17 revitalization is a much more efficient solution.

Once construction begins, the revitalization will take approximately 18 months to complete.

Built in 1978, the Castle Downs Station is one of the oldest fire stations in the City of Edmonton. Much of the building’s 38-year-old infrastructure requires extensive renovations and maintenance work to extend its life-cycle another 30 to 40 years.

Updates and renovations needed to revitalize the Castle Downs Station include asbestos removal, ramp repairs, and apparatus floor and roof replacement. In addition, a turnout gear room will be designed into the facility in order to address safety practices related to off gassing and contaminated bunker gear.

No. The station will maintain its current capacity (two units and six firefighters).

No, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services has been in contact with our emergency response partners (AHS and EPS) to inform them of the station’s redeployment. The temporary Station 17 redeployment will not have a negative impact on emergency response services.

We anticipate that the revitalization work will have minimal impact on Edmontonians who live in close vicinity to the Castle Downs Station. Construction will take place during business hours, with possible weekend work. The replacement of the ramp will require jack hammering which will last approximately three days. All construction work will be conducted in accordance with building code standards. If you have any issues, please contact 311.

Yes, we will communicate updates through your Community Leagues, on our website (www.edmonton.ca/firerescueservices), and through social media. We will also host a grand reopening at the Castle Downs Station when the revitalization is complete.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services has notified its external emergency response partners, Alberta Health Services and the Edmonton Police Services, of the upcoming renovations.