Residents of Letellier and area had a chance to tour the community's new fire hall on the weekend.

A ceremony was held Saturday to officially open the $260,000 dollar facility.

The building was constructed out of necessity when it was determined that a new pumper truck that was being purchased by the RM of Montcalm was too big to fit in the old building, according to fire chief Jean-Guy Chartier.

"The new trucks don't fit into old fire halls like the one we had. That hall was a steel building, so we couldn't raise it or widen it. After some extensive discussions, the municipality came up with some

numbers to build a new hall."

The project was a joint effort by both the Montcalm municipality and local volunteer fire department staff that got started in 2014. The municipality paid for the building shell and the installation of heat, hydro and water, while the firefighters volunteered their time to finish the offices with cabinetry, flooring and a fresh coat of paint.

"It took some time to finish because we were using volunteer labour," said Chartier. "You can't force volunteers to be here, but I'm glad they showed up when they could and we were able to get it done as fast as we could."

The new fire hall is significantly larger than the old building and easily accommodates the new fire truck that was purchased. However, there are other benefits to the added space. The new fire hall will serve as a command centre during an emergency situation such as a flood, or a tornado in the RM of Montcalm.

"This fire hall would become EMO headquarters. So, the board room that was constructed is designed with 16 phone lines to service EMO coordinators, Office of the Fire Commissioner and possible

military personnel. It would also become the Montcalm municipal office in case of flood where staff would move into here."

Chartier admits the new fire hall has received a mixed response from local residents as many don't feel there was a need for it.

"A lot of people have never been affected by accidents, or fires. We respond to motor vehicle accidents, structure fires, grass fires, field fires and people who have been affected by these understand," said Chartier.

Overall though, Chartier says local ratepayers have supported the project and the RM has been tremendous backer of the project.

"The benefits of a new building are tremendous, because it allows us to keep growing."