In the presence of several Île-Perrot elected officials, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot mayor Danie Deschênes officially inaugurated fire station 26 on boulevard Don-Quichotte at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 14.

The press conference was preceded by an open house, held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., to allow interested citizens of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot and Pincourt to discover the premises. Almost two years ago, the two municipalities merged their fire safety services to form a single department, now divided between two fire stations. 

Among the dignitaries present at the press conference were the mayors of L'Île-Perrot, Terrasse-Vaudreuil and Pincourt, Pierre Séguin, Michel Bourdeau and Claude Comeau respectively. The MP for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nichols, was also present for the occasion. 

She was already talking about it when she was mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot: "We've been talking about merging the two fire brigades for a long time. It's a beautiful fire station built with fine materials. I notice an attention to detail that perfectly suits Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. When you're elected, you're sometimes afraid of spending a lot of money on projects of this scale. But it's worth it, as we can see today."

A milestone for NDI

"This morning marks a very important moment in the history of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. This fire station is very important to us, as it represents our legacy to the population. When a long-term project like this sees the light of day, we have no choice but to express our gratitude when it comes to fruition as it has today. Thank you to the Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot council for agreeing to follow me in this crazy idea" she began. 

Ms. Deschênes added that the idea had been well thought out, and that a great deal of upstream work had gone into planning this major investment. "I would like to underline the collaboration of our engineer Gordon Rootley, who analyzed our entire territory and determined that the land where the fire station is located was the best for this project. All in all, it took us five years from start to finish to bring this municipal project to fruition. I must also acknowledge the contribution and support of the current Pincourt council, as well as that of the former council, which contributed to the project" she added.

She also paid tribute to the Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot and Pincourt fire brigades. "Thank you to the firefighters for working with us on the project and telling us about their needs. As a result, we were able to build a building that meets their expectations. Before we got there, we had to make compromises on both sides. The firefighters were cramped for 18 months in a smaller fire station. But today, we're proud of the great service we've established in the Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot and Pincourt fire stations. It was essential for us to adequately serve the population of our two territories, and that's why we merged the two fire brigades" she mentioned. 

It should be noted that the project was completed on budget, with a two-month delay in delivery. "The fire station was designed for the next 50 years. There is a possibility of adding two doors, one in front and one behind, if we acquire other emergency vehicles such as a boat. I'm very proud of the collaboration between our fire department and that of Pincourt. We've created an agreement that didn't exist at all at the outset, and it's working well. I think that's the proudest achievement of my current term as mayor", she confided.

In all, the project required an investment of $11.2 million. Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot was responsible for purchasing the land, building the fire station and purchasing the vehicles, while the operating budget for the fire station will be split pro rata with the Town of Pincourt. 

Ms. Deschênes took the opportunity to invite the municipal administrations of L'Île-Perrot and Terrasse-Vaudreuil to reconsider the proposal to merge their fire brigades with that of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot-Pincourt. 

A great open hous

At the start of the day, NDIP-Pincourt Fire Department Director Yanick Bernier was hoping to welcome over 1,000 visitors to the fire station's open house. "The fire station and our vehicles are brand new, and it's rare to get a chance to see that. The fire station was built very quickly. We're talking about 36 months from the time I drew it on a sheet of paper to when it became a reality" he commented. 

In recent years, the population of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot has grown by 7%. The town occupies two-thirds of Île-Perrot. It was therefore imperative for the town to reinvent itself in order to be able to serve its citizens effectively in terms of fire and civil security.

No detail has been overlooked in the new fire station. "A firefighter is six times more likely than a normal citizen to contract cancer as a result of his work. Here, we've done everything to reduce the risk as much as possible by equipping our trucks with particle filters. We have a washer right in the garage, so we can clean our combat gear straight after a fire. There are also showers directly in the garage, so that firefighters can decontaminate themselves before returning to the officers' quarters on the 2nd floor", he explains. 

At the open house, representatives of the Sûreté du Québec, CETAM and the Unité communautaire de mesures d'urgence were on hand. Little ones were able to have their faces painted on site, play on inflatable games and climb aboard fire department trucks and a hot-air balloon. As for parents, they could admire the equipment used by firefighters on a fire or accident scene, and meet a representative of the Au combat pour elles (breast cancer) organization. 

As they left, visitors received a gift bag containing a firefighter's helmet, an activity book, a puzzle, a pencil and a seek-and-find game.