Fire Station One Construction

Listen to the Round Table Road Trip Fire Chief Bob Lymburner And Fire Prevention Officer Jason Longhurst

Fire Station 1, located at 177 Highway 20 W, is a 42-year-old facility, that the Pelham Fire Department has outgrown. Fire Station 1, as it exists today, was substantially completed in 1982, however the grand opening was held on March 5, 1983, to coincide with the 60^th anniversary of the Fire Department in Fonthill.

The current building contains a garage area utilized for firefighting apparatus and bunker gear storage, a training room/banquet hall, offices, storage areas, a lounge, two washrooms containing a small shower in each, and a kitchen. Neither washroom is accessible to those with mobility impairments, nor does either provide privacy for volunteer firefighters to shower or change. Fire Station 1 is the headquarters for 40 volunteers and provides office space for six full-time employees, including Fire Services and By-law staff.

In 2023, volunteers from Fire Station 1 responded to 327 emergency calls, showing the significant impact of this location on the community. The current location of Fire Station 1 has been determined to be the best available site for a fire station, and therefore the new facility will be constructed there using a two-phase build that will allow operations to continue while construction is ongoing. 

In mid-April 2026, the Town awarded the project to Manorcore Group Inc to construct the building. The total project budget is $8 million, and the town is currently under budget by $742,000.

The new Fire Station Facility is anticipated to be approximately 13,000 square feet, including approximately 6,500 square feet of truck bay space, consisting of five bays (2 drive-through bays) to accommodate four apparatus, including front-line engines, tankers, and rescue vehicles. Designed as both a Post-Disaster Building and an Emergency Operations Center, the new station will play a critical role in keeping the community safe and prepared.

Additionally, the new space will meet AODA requirements and include:

• Office space
• Meeting space
• A fully serviced commercial kitchen
• A lounge
• Fitness room
• Storage areas
• Decontamination facilities

A unique feature of this project is an additional museum component, which will showcase Pelham’s rich fire service history. 

The Town of Pelham Fire Services and By-Law services offices have been temporarily located to the lower level of 2 Pelham Town Square as Fire Station #1 is currently under construction.

While finalizing the design, in the fall of 2025, the Town, together with the architect, went through a prequalification process to secure fair, competitive bidding for this project from prequalified bidders. The objective was to achieve a quality-built building within budget, on schedule, and safely.

Based on the results of the pre-qualification process, eight contractors with experiencing building fire stations were interviewed and evaluated by Town Staff and Raimondo Architects and Associates Inc. Only these eight pre-qualified contractors were invited to bid on the project.

During the first half of 2026, the Town of Pelham requested contracting services from a qualified contractor for the Town of Pelham Fire Station 1, located at 177 Highway 20 West, Fonthill, ON, through an invite to bid process, which was sent to the eight prequalified contractors. The contractors were given four weeks to submit a competitive bid to the Town. 

In mid-April 2026, the Town, along with the recommendation from the architect, awarded the project to Manorcore Group Inc to construct the building.

Contact information for the project manager is found below: 

Gimuel Ledesma, C.E.T., rcji

Senior Engineering Technologist

20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0
T. 905-980-6685

gledesma@pelham.ca