Update
Fire Hall No. 2 reopened on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. after tests for asbestos came back negative, the City of St. Albert reported Oct. 16. The original Oct. 13 story on the closure follows below.
St. Albert is temporarily short a fire hall after an asbestos scare forced crews to bail out of Fire Hall No. 2.
The City of St. Albert put out a notice Oct. 13 that it had temporarily closed Fire Hall No. 2, which is located on Boudreau Road near Bellerose Drive.
Crews were drilling holes in the wall there for a new security system late on Oct. 12 when someone raised concern about the debris kicked up by the drill, city spokesperson Cory Sinclair said.
“There’s a risk there might be some asbestos in the debris,” Sinclair said, which would pose a safety risk to firefighters if there was any.
The city’s health and safety team closed the building and relocated the station’s crew and vehicles to Fire Hall No. 3 on the west side of St. Albert just to be safe, Sinclair said. An analyst is now testing the debris to see if it contains asbestos.
St. Albert Fire Chief Everett Cooke said a fire truck, an ambulance, and six crewmembers have temporarily relocated to Fire Hall No. 3 while the testing is underway. Cooke said this relocation should not affect public safety, as the department still has the same amount of machinery and firefighters available.
Fire Hall No. 2 should reopen in a few days once testing and cleanup is complete, Sinclair said.
Residents who see a fire in St. Albert should call 911.
