Beaver Lake Fire Station Consolidation into Whitefish Complete

Following Council direction as part of the emergency service station relocation review, the Beaver Lake Fire Station has now been consolidated into the Whitefish station.

Earlier this week, Fire Services briefed volunteer firefighters from both stations about the change in reporting location, effective July 4, 2024. Staff have been consolidated with Whitefish and will serve the Beaver Lake area based out of that location. Former Beaver Lake volunteer firefighters may have the option to respond from home, using their personal vehicle to respond to an incident. All gear and equipment have been moved from Beaver Lake to the Whitefish station.

Response to emergency calls in the area remains the same. Firefighters at Beaver Lake and Whitefish fire stations historically worked, trained and responded together. Although they operated out of two separate buildings, they were already dispatched to the same emergencies at the same time.

On June 27 and July 11, 2023, City Council passed nine resolutions related to Fire Services in Greater Sudbury. One motion directed that the Beaver Lake station remain open for one year while staff worked to address firefighter shortages through volunteer firefighters. The Beaver Lake station was unable to meet the required number of trained volunteers within the one-year target. On Tuesday June 25, 2024, City Council defeated a resolution directing staff to leave the Beaver Lake fire station open and expand efforts to recruit and retain volunteers. Council directed staff to proceed with the consolidation of the Beaver Lake station into the Whitefish station.

This consolidation provides a more reliable and robust staffing model and ensures a financially sustainable future for Greater Sudbury Fire Services. The service will continue to recruit volunteer firefighters in both Whitefish and Beaver Lake.