Fire trucks sit in the apparatus bay at Fire Station No. 1 in Strathroy on Friday, July 24, 2026. (Geoff Robins/The London Free Press)

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Strathroy’s Fire Station No. 1, at 220 East Centre St., has finally been completed after construction began in late 2024. But why was it needed? How does it differ from the previous station? And how much did it cost? LFP’s Ryan Goodison explains.

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Strathroy Deputy Fire Chief Stephanie Cyros said the previous station, on the same site, was only intended to be a temporary home for the department, but firefighters ended up using it for decades.

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“I think as the building aged, it just became a reality that we needed a new building just to house everybody, to house all the, you know, the trucks and increase firefighter health and safety,” she said.

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Built in 1975, the old station served firefighters for 50 years, but as Strathroy grew, the department needed a larger facility to serve the community.

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“As our community continues to grow, having a modern station like this helps ensure we’re well positioned to meet those needs and continue delivering the service residents expect,” Cyros said.

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She said the new building will help the department operate more efficiently, whether preparing for calls, maintaining equipment or managing day-to-day operations.

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In 2023, Strathroy council voted 5-3 in favour of the new station, and construction began in late 2024.

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The department officially moved into the new station in September 2025, with finishing touches still to be completed.

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“Having spent many years serving out of Station 2 in Mount Brydges, it’s been incredibly rewarding to watch this project progress from planning and construction to a fully operational fire station,” Cyros said.

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“Seeing firefighters and staff now working in a facility designed to support them, and the community they serve, is something I’m genuinely proud to be a part of.”

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Well, for starters, it’s the size.

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Brendon Ager, a senior architectural technologist with A+LiNK Architecture Inc., who designed the new station, said it’s about 15,000 square feet, compared with about 9,000 square feet for the previous station.

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The additional space means the new station has a much larger bay for parking its trucks, including a higher ceiling to accommodate the station’s new ladder truck.

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“Their previous fire hall was, you know, many years old. It had a couple of additions to it, and it just wasn’t serving the purpose anymore,” Ager said.

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Ager said this was an important part of the design because the larger apparatus bay improves workflow and functionality.

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Firefighter bunker gear is stored at Fire Station No. 1 in Strathroy on Friday, July 24, 2026. (Geoff Robins/The London Free Press)

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“The big thing now is the garage based in the apparatus bay that they can pull the trucks right through, rather than, you know, in the past they’ve either had to try to squeeze them in, or to kind of back into the facility,” he said.