The 4,100 square foot building was built over 50 years ago, but modern equipment is now pushing the boundaries of what the facility can store.

Corey Maricle, the Windom Mayor and Volunteer Fire Fighter, says, "Actually, if we have snow we have to shovel out in front of the door before we take it out otherwise it'll hit the ceiling. So it's pretty important that we do something different."

To compensate, the water tanker is stored off-site and additional buildings have been built to house some of the vehicles.

The city has drawn up a proposed fire and ambulance building with Brunton architects at an estimated cost of $4.57 million.

Nasby says, "It was a trade-off there that we were having to make, but, yeah, there was a number of citizens that were not happy with that."

The city has $1 million from the Ambulance Fund.

Windom is seeking $2.2 million in state bonding funds and is currently on the Senate bonding bill, but is still seeking to get the project added to the House and Governor's bonding bills.

Delhi Township Fire Chief Douglas Campbell said the existing Greenwell Avenue station was built in 1956 as a volunteer fire station.

He said the station on Greenwell is the department’s busiest station, serving a densely populated area and handling more than half of the department’s total emergency calls.

The outdated structure limits the department in terms of how many firefighters can be staffed there, and he said it also restricts the department from housing some of the larger, modern vehicles and equipment.

At roughly 11,500-square-feet, Township Administrator Pete Landrum said the new station will have separate sleeping quarters for male and female firefighters, larger vehicle bays, meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines and comply with today’s building standards.

Don Bulat, Tri-State firefighter and union president of Tri-State Firefighter's Local 3165, said the district had been short staffed for at least three years and had to pay its firefighters overtime to cover extra shifts.

With the addition of two fire engines, the Tri-State district also is improving its firefighting capability, officials said.

The fire district bought one fire engine and leased another. The engines were demonstrators the manufacturer used, which allowed Tri-State to get them for a lower price and with less advance notice than if the district ordered them to be built from scratch. One went into service Monday, the other is expected to be ready the week of April 25.

The new fire trucks replaced a 16-year-old engine and two mini-squads, fire district officials said. The new engines carry four times as much hose as the mini-squads and more than twice as many gallons of water, Brenn said. They also have greater pumping capacity.

He added that if displaced residents of Fort McMurray show up in Calgary, the city is prepared to help. Calgary Fire Chief Steve Dongworth said he has been in touch with the chief of Fort McMurray’s fire department and he has offered assistance.

Dongworth said all requests will be coordinated through Alberta Emergency Management Agency. The CFD is prepared to send four fire engines - fully staffed - at a moment’s notice along with two bush buggies, also staffed, and management support staff as well.