Construction has officially commenced on Airdrie’s fourth fire station, located in the northeast quadrant. The station will cover 26,000 square feet of operational space, with a post-disaster-rated design that includes training towers, fire bays, and a modular Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC).
The facility is scheduled to open by November 2026 and is expected to handle 1,000 emergency responses per year by 2027. During the May 12, 2025, groundbreaking ceremony for Airdrie’s Highland Park Fire Station, Fire Chief Mike Pirie said that the ceremony was more than just ceremonial
"Today is more than just the turning of soil. It is the culmination of years of planning going all the way back to 2013 and sets the foundation for the future," Pirie said. "This facility represents a commitment by our city to public safety, our emergency responders, and every family and business in Airdrie."
He also highlighted the station’s role in improving response times as Airdrie’s population continues to grow
"We envisioned a facility that could meet the needs of our rapidly growing community and better equip our firefighters to serve with excellence. As our community grows, so too must our ability to respond quickly and effectively. The Highland Park fire station will enhance our operational coverage throughout the city, ensuring that response times are faster and more efficient."
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Mayor Peter Brown also addressed the importance of the station in light of Airdrie’s growing population and the future needs of the city.
"This fire hall and training center is the last link in supporting Airdrie in the long term," Brown remarked.
He also reflected on the evolution of Airdrie’s fire services, noting the shift from a volunteer-based operation to a fully career-staffed fire department by 2010.
"This new facility, strategically located here in Highland Park, represents the city of Airdrie’s dedication to the well-being and safety of our community," Brown said.
Modelled for Chute-Time Efficiency and ECC Conversion
The Highland Park station is designed for operational efficiency. The layout ensures 90-second chute times and limits staff movement to a maximum of 127 feet from work zones to apparatus in Bay 1.
The building will also include classrooms, breakout rooms, accessible bathrooms, and a kitchenette, all of which are designed to convert into a modular ECC during citywide emergencies. The facility is designed to be flexible, enabling multi-department coordination during large-scale events.
EV Training and Modern Firefighting Techniques
The station will feature a four-storey Class B fire tower to simulate kitchen, car, and battery fires. It uses natural gas to create clean-burning environments that minimize the harmful byproducts typically associated with live fire training.
"This is what modern fire training looks like," Pirie said during a previous council update. "It doesn’t stink, very realistic, hangs in the buildings you can’t see, and we get to practice all those things on a very repetitive basis."
The City of Airdrie will also co-host a regional EV battery fire symposium with the U.S.-based Fire Safety Research Institute, providing cutting-edge fire management training for local and regional responders.
However, during an April 15 council meeting, Pirie clarified that public or private sector training programs will not be delivered on site:
"At this point, we have no intention to offer our services to train people outside of our own organization," Pirie said. "It would be impractical."
Cost Control and Construction Progress
The Highland Park Fire Station project uses the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method to reduce financial exposure and prevent project delays.
"Whatever you design, it has to be constructible," Pirie said previously. "A change order is incredibly expensive, and our goal is to get those change orders — they should be unpredictable."
As of May 13:
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Tender Package 1 (civil, pilings, structural) has closed
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Tender Package 2 is scheduled to award mid-May
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Fire tower procurement is under active review
Confirmed Scope Reductions and Infrastructure Gaps
City documents show several scope reductions and value-engineering decisions to keep the project within budget:
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300m² internal space removed through room sharing
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40 per cent reduction in paved areas, leaving them as hard-packed gravel
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Power lines lifted instead of buried to reduce costs
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Flat roof designed for future solar panels
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Climate control zones used instead of per-room HVAC
Unfunded items include:
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SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) air stations
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Fire alerting systems
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Solar electrical infrastructure
Additional infrastructure added during design:
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Two hydrants for external training
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West-side traffic signal integration
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Smart insulation for energy efficiency
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Backup IT access point using repurposed city systems
DiscoverAirdrie sought comment from The City of Airdrie before the May 12 event regarding several key aspects of the Highland Park Fire Station project, including the impact of scope reductions on functionality, how the design will perform under full staffing, and the practical implications of its "post-disaster" construction. The city did not respond in time for publication.
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