Bluewater celebrates renovated fire station, says goodbye to retiring chief

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ZURICH – A celebration at the Zurich fire station was a chance to welcome in a new era for Zurich firefighters and also an opportunity to say goodbye to the municipality’s fire chief.

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A Saturday, May 13, ribbon cutting – held to celebrate the nearly $1 million in renovations at the Zurich fire station on Mill Avenue –also involved an open house, allowing members of the public to tour the newly renovated facility.

While the station still needs some finishing touches, such as signage and some paint, most of the improvements, including a new larger training area, washrooms, a kitchen and radio room, more space for equipment, an office for the district chief, and more space to accommodate larger fire trucks, are complete.

The municipality also paid tribute to the recently retired Dave Renner, who, as Bluewater’s fire chief since 2015, oversaw its four stations – Zurich, Hensall, Brucefield and Bayfield. Renner, who started as a volunteer firefighter with Central Huron 31 years ago, had also been Central Huron’s fire chief since 2015.

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Renner, who has been retired for a few weeks, said he didn’t miss the three pagers and cellphone that would frequently interrupt his sleep for emergencies, but did miss the camaraderie he enjoyed with his fellow firefighters, as well as dealing with the public. He said he’s proud of his work in Bluewater bringing the four stations together, getting to know the firefighters and replacing some of the equipment.

Renner, who lives in Clinton with his wife Judy, said he’s been enjoying his newly found free time, and has been working around the yard at home and looking forward to a camping trip.

Of the newly renovated Zurich station, the retired chief said, “This building is great.”

Renner said Bluewater has a great team, and thanked council and the municipality’s firefighters.

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Mayor Paul Klopp thanked Renner for his work in Bluewater.

“You’ve given 100 per cent to the community,” said Klopp, adding that Bluewater made the right choice when it hired Renner as chief in 2015. Klopp said he appreciated Renner’s leadership, and he also thanked the four district chiefs for their work.

Bluewater chief administrative officer Laurie Spence Bannerman said the role of fire chief is a critical one. Renner’s duties, she noted, included recruiting, training, supporting the firefighters after calls, working on fire prevention and public education, preparing council reports, maintaining relationships with the other municipalities, and remaining on call at all times.

Zurich district fire Chief Dave Erb, who is also Bluewater’s interim fire chief while the search for Renner’s replacement continues, said renovations to the building started about a year ago. He noted the original building, built in the late 1960s, had a low ceiling, which created constraints when it came to truck purchases. Now the building can hold bigger and taller vehicles, Erb said.

He said the new training room can also be used by the municipality’s four stations for courses and lessons.

The renovation project has a budget of $1.01 million and the cost, so far, sits at just less than $1 million, Bluewater deputy treasurer Arthur Smith said in an email to the Times-Advance. A 2020 report to council estimated a new building would cost more than $1.3 million.