A much-needed facility in the village of Fillmore is getting closer to reality, thanks in part to a large donation from Cargill.
Planning started last year on a new Emergency Services Building to be able to house the Fillmore Volunteer Ambulance and the Fillmore Fire Department. Currently, the ambulance is at the Village of Fillmore shop, and the fire trucks are at the RM of Fillmore shop. Neither has the space for all of the equipment or training, so the new building will be able to help accommodate that, as well as house both of the services under one roof.
While shovels are expected to break ground on the new facility next month, fundraising has been underway and continues. The efforts received a boost thanks to Cargill on Monday, when they made a $66,000 donation.
“Oh boy... It’s more than we could ever imagined it would be,” said Russ Leguee. He is the Reeve of the RM of Fillmore. He was also a long-time member of the Fillmore EMS, having retired in December. He still serves as a volunteer firefighter in Fillmore. “We’ve been asking for donations, and we’ve been trying to raise funds to get our building up and running, which we’re going to start construction in July, and so when companies like Cargill come along and put that kind of money on our table, we just can’t say enough good things about companies like that, that will invest in smaller communities and help us get to our goal on this building.”
While the ambulance and fire department are located in Fillmore, they do serve a rather large area. The fire department provides mutual aid, as does the ambulance, for communities such as Stoughton, Indian Head, Kipling and others. Also, when there are staffing issues in one area, they will help cover things.
“The square kilometres of area, I’m not even sure what it would be, but it’s very large,” Leguee noted.
The community has also been very helpful when needed with the services over the years. Leguee stated that when a new ambulance was needed a few years ago, the community raised the money needed in a few weeks. They do similar things for the fire department as well.
“When we need gear or some new equipment, the community is very quick.”
The community’s support has been felt throughout the process of getting the new Emergency Services building as well. A family that owned a few lots in Fillmore donated the land for the facility. The support has also come from surrounding communities as well.
“We’ve gone to RMs and villages around Fillmore to ask for help, and they’ve all came forward with donations, and local businesses in and around Weyburn that we’ve approached, and farther out, have been very receptive,” Leguee said.
Those who are interested in donating can contact the RM of Fillmore office at (306) 722-3251.