Firefighters in North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, were faced with a unique problem one morning in 2022 when they walked into their firehall: fish were scattered across the floor.
Hurricane Fiona had hit the island, causing extensive damage and submerging the North Rustico firehall in over a foot of water. Once the waters receded and the firetrucks were moved out, fish from the Atlantic Ocean were left behind as a stark reminder that the facility was located in a high-risk flood zone.
“It’s a joke in P.E.I. right now that North Rustico needs a new firehall because we’ve got fish in the building”, said Stephanie Moase, the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer. “But at the time, it was stressful to figure out how to move quickly to change the location, and we didn’t really know where to start. So when I heard about the CRIS, I thought that’s just what I needed—an expert to help me figure out how to start the project.”
A low barrier, flexible matching process
Moase applied to the CRIS through the online form, briefly explaining the Town’s goal to build a new facility. This was followed by an intake meeting with the team, where she outlined the challenges and priorities of the concept design for a new firehall. The CRIS team helped map out a scope of work for a CRIS Roster Expert with three main objectives; confirm the conceptual plan for a new facility, assess its net-zero readiness, and leverage potential funding sources for the project.
North Rustico was matched with CRIS Roster Expert EastPoint Engineering, who developed an options analysis report for the Town, with information the town needed about the trade-offs between cost, energy efficiency, and feasibility for their new firehall project.
“We started from the broad-reaching problem that the facility is sitting on a flood zone, focusing on the new facility layout and concept,” explains Ryan Cooke, Mechanical Engineer at EastPoint. “And then we really narrowed in and established the net-zero readiness, which could be what’s needed to access future funding and the next steps.”
Practical decision-making support
EastPoint’s detailed options analysis evaluated various design scenarios for the new firehall. Their goal was to help the Town balance its ambition of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions with the need for economic viability. They examined different heating and ventilation system configurations, assessing how each option would impact costs, energy efficiency, and the long-term operation of the facility.
In addition to technical recommendations, EastPoint also identified several funding programs that North Rustico could pursue to support the design and construction of the new firehall. This ensured that the Town had clarity on both the technical and financial pathways they could use to move the project forward.
“The Options Report gives us the clear numbers we need,” said Moase. “I’m excited for my committee to come together and sit with the report and have a better understanding of what our best foot forward will be.”
