Tuscany Fire Station officially open to serve growing northwest communities

The much-anticipated new fire station in Tuscany opened today with a community celebration, children’s activities and speeches from Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Fire Chief Steve Dongworth, Alberta Infrastructure Minister Sandra Jansen, local First Nations and community representatives.

With the station opening, the Calgary Fire Department is better equipped to provide public safety services to four northwest communities with over 30,000 people – Tuscany, Rocky Ridge, Scenic Acres and Arbour Lake. In addition, the station will support new growth in northwest neighborhoods recently approved by City Council.

“Calgary continues to grow and be recognized as one of the most livable cities in the world,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “This new fire station is an investment in the safety and quality of life for all Calgarians in our northwest quadrant.”

Tuscany Station has many of the design features of a classic fire station, including two apparatus bays and a kitchen, but also includes some extra features like a community meeting room, drop-in work area for City employees and an outdoor fitness park that can be used by members of the community.

“We asked the surrounding communities what their vision was for the new Tuscany station. Overwhelmingly we heard that the fire station should also serve as a hub for the community,” says Chief Steve Dongworth. “We’re very pleased with the resulting features, which will foster a greater connection between Calgarians, firefighters and City staff.”

The designs chosen for the public portions of the building and property were selected by the residents after the Calgary Fire Department led an extensive community consultation process. The Station will meet LEED Gold standards and include features such as site irrigation and high efficiency water and light fixtures.

This project was made possible through the financial investment of the Alberta Government and The City of Calgary through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) and the Community Recreation Levy (CRL).

“I am thrilled to see this investment in northwest Calgary,” says Sandra Jansen, provincial Minister of Infrastructure. “Our government is building critical, sustainable infrastructure like this project all across the province to support everyday Albertans.”

As part of the critical partnership to build Tuscany Station, the province’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative contributed $2.9 million. The City’s portion includes $11.3 million sourced from the CRL fund – fees collected from developers for building public infrastructure in new communities – as well as $2.2 million from taxes and other sources for a total project budget of $16.4 million.