By Andrea Nicholl
The City of Lloydminster has officially opened its second fire hall, unveiling its dedication and opening its doors on Saturday afternoon.
True to the man it was dedicated, the unveiling of the new fire hall was slightly humorous and a little stubborn said some in the crowd.
After a minor delay with a sticky banner the dedication of the D.E. Gustavson Fire Hall was revealed.
“The dedication of this new building today will recognize and honour a person who is no longer with us, but has certainly left a lasting legacy in our community. David E. Ted Gustavson started with the Lloydminster Fire Department on Jan. 1, 1952,” said senior director of corporate affairs Tom Lysyk.
Ted Gustavson moved through the ranks of the Lloydminster fire department quickly- promoted to assistant chief in 1958, becoming chief in 1964 and becoming the city’s first full-time paid fire chief in 1979. After 46 years of service, Ted passed away in 1998, leaving behind a community legacy and a son to follow in his footsteps.
“Father spent 46 years in the fire service and that was always his life,” said Ted’s son and Lloyd’s current fire chief Todd Gustavson. “He was very dedicated to the department so of course I’m very proud that it was named after him.”
The new D.E. Gustavson Fire Hall will elevate pressures on the downtown station, reduce cross town traffic and most importantly will reduce response times, particularly for calls coming from the south and west sides of the city.
“The big thing is cutting down the response times,” said Todd. “We’ve strategically placed these (fire fighters) in this station based on where they work and where they live so that they’re close to the station itself.”
The department strives to respond to a call within 10 minutes, though Todd says response times do vary according to a variety of factors including weather conditions, traffic and construction.
The hall will be used as a fully operational station and will be the permanent office for Gustavson and main station for 20 fire fighters and two first-run pumpers. The new facility consists of an office, communications room, generator room, emergency operating system, ventilation system, overhead water mains, breathing room and a small shop and storage room.
The downtown hall will remain operational and will be managed by a full-time deputy and will house two pumpers, an aerial ladder and equipment.
“You can always add as the city grows,” said Gustavson. “And that’s the important thing you’ve got to keep track of the city and grow with it.
“Over the years I’ve increased my manpower from about 25 people to 40 so it’s kind of an even split where we’ll have 20 at one hall and 20 at the other.”
In addition to the new fire hall, the city’s department also expanded with a new pumper truck which was unveiled and dedicated on Saturday afternoon.
The new pumper, dedicated to former fire fighter Gordon “Clutch” Clarkson was officially put into service by his widow Sandy Clarkson and daughter Jody Clarkson.
“In 2009, when I had to add the additional fire hall to complement the fire station I sat down and was doing up my plans for a new truck and I couldn’t help but think of a member that was 30 years in the department who passed away due to cancer and that individual was Gordy,” said Gustavson. “He had wonderful leadership qualities, he worked well with the guys and he was dedicated - he was always there when you needed him. I couldn’t find a more appropriate (dedication) when I was building that truck he was the first one that came to mind. It just couldn’t be for a better guy.”
The Lloyd Fire Department has commemorated those who have passed but continues to  look to ahead to potential for growth, training and education as it welcomes new members into the future.
Gustavson says planning and growth never stops and opportunity never ceases. He says now that the new hall is operational and the new truck is in service, it’s time to turn his attention to the north end of the city.
“I’m presently working with a piece of property on the north end of the city for a training grounds. We’ve got a water supply in there, the property is cleared, it’s fenced and I want to put some cement work in there and some pits for fuel fires. We actually just moved an old two-storey house up there that we’ll be playing with until Christmas time - so that’s where my focus is shifting to next.”