A new fire station has been opened at 1705 Preston Avenue North. The grand opening was held on Tuesday, and the station will be replacing the 56-year-old Fire Station No.5 located at 421 Central Avenue in Southerland. A 2014 review of SFD’s operations led to the development of a new service model created to improve response time across the city. The relocation comes as a result of that.

The two-storey station features 10,000 square feet and two bays and will be staffed 24-hours a day with four firefighter-paramedics and one officer. The building also houses a dedicated cultural space with ventilation to allow for smudging ceremonies. The walls will include artwork from students at Oskayak High School. The space is intended to be used by both the SFD and the University of Saskatchewan, as it will be open for public bookings when not in use.