'This is a vital community hub': Temporary fire hall prompts opposition from some Vancouver residents

Some Vancouver residents fear losing green space if a proposed temporary fire hall is approved in their neighbourhood.

Dana Deschene has lived in Strathcona for over a decade and said the park at Union Street and Gore Avenue is a meaningful place to residents.

“This is a vital community hub,” she said. “There’s often lemonade stands that happen and sun bathers. It’s a very active space.”

Deschene said the park also provides important shade to residents in an area where green space is limited.

A 2022 Vancouver Tree Canopy Assessment found Strathcona had the lowest canopy cover, with only nine per cent. In comparison, Shaughnessy had the highest with 41 per cent. 

“This community needs this green space, especially with urban heat on the rise,” Deschene said.

Deschene started a petition opposing the fire hall, stating the site "serves as a crucial link between Chinatown and Strathcona, offering residents respite from urban sprawl."

"It is not merely a patch of vegetation, but a thriving hub for picnics, children's play, cyclists seeking refuge, and community gatherings," the petition continues.

The temporary fire hall annex is slated to be located at 722 Gore Ave. According to a rezoning booklet from the City of Vancouver, the proposed site is an effort to relieve the current operational and safety pressures at Fire Hall 2, one of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services' busiest halls.

Matthew Trudeau, a public information officer with VFRS, said the hall at Main and Powell streets averages 1,800 calls per month.

“The call volume has gotten so busy, so quickly, that we’ve adapted by adding more apparatuses and trucks, but our facilities haven’t quite kept up,” he said.

Trudeau said VFRS has outgrown Fire Hall 2. He added it started with six employees and is now at 14 staff members. Due to how busy the location is, Trudeau said if VFRS is going to maintain its four-minute response model, it needs additional resources such as the temporary location.

“(It's necessary for) providing that service that people in the Downtown Eastside expect from our firefighters; getting on scene quickly for a fire and quickly for an overdose," he said.

According to drawings from city staff, the site will feature storage for fire trucks and space for fire department employees.

In an email to CTV News, the City of Vancouver said the site at the corner of Union and Gore is currently a road right-of-way.

It added the location was chosen because it’s the nearest available city-owned land to Fire Hall 2.

“The Temporary Fire Hall 2 Annex must be in proximity to the current Fire Hall 2 to ensure Vancouver Fire Rescue can effectively continue to provide critical emergency services in the area,” the email continued.

It added the proposed site plan preserves as much green space as possible for the community to gather and includes public art.

The city said the rezoning application is under review by staff and that a public hearing will be scheduled.