Burnaby's newest fire station is up and running, and the city will celebrate next month with a free barbecue, games, face painting and a chance to meet local firefighters.
Fire Station 8 at 9900 University Dr. East on Burnaby Mountain officially began operations last weekend.
For more than two years, SFU and the growing UniverCity community have been served by a temporary fire station operating out of an office space at 9055 University High St.
Before that, no firefighters were stationed on the mountain, and the area had the slowest response times in the city, according to a 2015 fire department study.
The city told the Burnaby NOW it's too early to say how response times have changed since firefighters have been posted on top of the mountain.
But the new fire station isn't just equipped to respond to regular emergencies; it also has specialized equipment for dealing with wildland fires in the swaths of green space that surround the mountain.
That includes a specialized vehicle designed to transport water to fire scenes, a truck and trailer for hauling a sprinkler system designed to fight wildfires and two ATVs to access areas regular vehicles can't reach, according to public affairs manager Chris Bryan.
One of the ATVs has a pump and water tank, he said.
In time, the new fire station will also be adorned with a two-dimensional graphic design created by an Indigenous artist from one of Burnaby's host nations: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem).
The city put out a call for artists last month and is in the selection phase, according to Bryan.
The fire station's official opening will take place on Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with an opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m.
There is no on-site parking, but free event parking will be available at the south parking lot (off South Campus Road) at SFU.
The city is encouraging residents to walk or take transit to attend.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
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