The Municipality of West Nipissing held a Public Information Session on Thursday, June 12, 2025, to discuss proposed adjustments to local fire service at Station 3 (Tomiko Fire Hall).The session provided detailed information about the recommendations outlined in the Fire Master Planand offered affected property owners an opportunity to share their thoughts and ask questions about response coverage in the area and the proposed closure of the fire hall. A recording of the session will be posted on this page shortly.
Background Information
Ontario Regulation 378/18, under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, requires that all municipalities in Ontario develop a Community Risk Assessment (CRA) by July 1, 2024, to guide decisions on fire protection services. In accordance, the Municipality of West Nipissing engaged a consulting firm (Behr Integrated Solutions) to develop a CRA, the findings of which identified key risks and needs within the community. These findings were then used to inform the development of the Municipality’s Fire Master Plan, also developed by the consultant. The Fire Master Plan builds upon the CRA’s insights and offers a comprehensive series of recommendations aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of fire service delivery. The Plan aims to ensure that the West Nipissing Fire Service is equipped to meet the evolving needs of its growing community and to provide effective fire protection and emergency services.
Station Feasibility and Consideration
As part of the Station Response Review, the report outlined in the Fire Master Plan examined the feasibility of the existing fire stations and provided considerations regarding the potential closure and consolidation of stations within the municipality.
WNFS operates and maintains 9 active fire stations and 17 frontline apparatus located across the municipality. Many of these fire stations are needing repairs or upgrades to maintain as active stations. The volume of incidents and type of incidents responded to vary across the municipality.
The review concluded that based on historical incident data, potential growth, and overall risk, closing this station, and having Station 2 respond to incidents in the current Station 3 response zone will have limited to no impactto the overall protection in the area.
Discussion at Council
On January 23, 2025, West Nipissing Fire Chief, Frank Loeffen, presented a progress report to Council on the Fire Master Plan, which included a discussion on the recommendation to permanently close Station 3 (Tomiko Hall) and maintain response coverage for this area through Station 2 in Crystal Falls.
At the subsequent Council meeting on February 4, 2025, a delegation of local residents presented their concerns with the proposed closure and requested a public meeting to receive more information and share their concerns.
Council agreed to proceed with a public information session to ensure residents are provided with detailed information on the proposed service changes and are afforded an opportunity to address concerns.
Key Questions
Helpful Resources
Fire Master Plan – Presentation to Council
West Nipissing Fire Master Plan
Municipality of West Nipissing Community Risk Assessment
Fire Underwriters Canada
West Nipissing Fire and Emergency Service