Firefighters and dignitaries gathered in the hamlet of Douro on Saturday, October 26th to celebrate the grand re-opening of Douro-Dummer Fire Station 2.

The building that is now Station 2 was originally built as a public works building in the 1960s. In 2021, renovations began to reconfigure and renovate the space to serve as a Douro-Dummer fire station. Prior to the renovation of this building, the only spaces available to Station 2 trucks and personnel were a detached building (just large enough to house the old pumper) and one bay of the public works building to house the other pumper.

With the knowledge that a new, larger pumper was on the way, Fire Chief Pedersen needed to figure out how to create space for the new generation of fire apparatus, and enable more efficient use of the space by the firefighters that respond from that station. 

Improvements to the facility from 2021-2024 were made possible through funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and the Township of Douro-Dummer. The improvements were championed by Michael Korkus and largely completed by Station 2 volunteer firefighters.

“We rely on our volunteer firefighters every day to be ready to respond, and here again they have stepped up in a different way, to an opportunity facilitated through the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, providing a new home for fire station 2” said Fire Chief Chuck Pedersen, “Without the selflessness of this group of volunteers, the project would have been much less significant, and for that we can’t say thank you enough.”

The event included an old fire service tradition, the push-in ceremony, where Station 2 firefighters welcomed the addition of the new apparatus by working together to push Pump 2 into the truck bay.

Echoing Chief Pedersen’s sentiments, Mayor Watson noted “The re-opening of this Station is a celebration of the spirit of dedication and cooperation that defines our community. We are grateful for the support from not just the federal and provincial governments, but for the many businesses and individuals who supported this project.”