Calgary Fire Training Academy

[zero10]

Facility address: 5727 23 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2B 3E2
Physical Attributes:  Rectangular lot 70m x 90m with an extension of 25m x 60m at the east end
Number of cars supported: 75?
Cost: $1000/day (negotiable if we're renting for 2-day weekends or a large number of days)
Site Concerns:

• FIRE HYDRANTS!!!!  There are NUMEROUS fire hydrants surrounding the lot, course design MUST take these into account.
• Lack of facilities: The building would be locked on the weekend and we would need to provide a washroom for people attending our event
• Lack of parking: It will be difficult to arrange a grid or have sufficient parking for cars and tow vehicles.  The surrounding road is owned by the Calgary Police, not the Fire Department, and we would not be permitted to park on it or use it

Contact Person: Daniel (Dan) Heney
Current Status: Negative
Primary Objection:  Unspecified "risk".  When pressed for details Dan said it was no one thing, that he was generally sympathetic for what we are trying to accomplish but that management had decided it was not a risk they could take
Recommended Action:

• Political lobbying
  • Andre Chabot - Work to get Andre Chabot (the area Alderman) on our side and see if he can help us along in any way
  • Naheed Nenshi - If we can get the mayor on our side maybe we've got a chance!
  • Fire Chief - I'm not sure who this is, but I have unofficially been told that the Corvettes Unlimited Club used to use this facility until a change in Fire Chiefs a couple years back ended their use of the lot
• Try asking again nicely, stay in contact with Dan - I try to send him an email every month or so reminding him that we're still interested and hoping he will be able to get the decision changed

History:
I initially reached out to the Fire Training Academy in late November 2015, speaking with (I can't remember her name) the reaction was initially very positive, she said they would be happy to show me the facility, I attended the site for a visit just as fast as my bike would get me there.  On site she said she had no idea why they didn't already run events like this, that she thought it was a great idea and that when Dan was back on Monday I should call him to arrange everything.  I was shown the grounds by another staff member whose name I can't recall, he also seemed completely on-board with the idea and was wondering as well why I was the first person to ask.  They also both mentioned that the facility is generally not used at all on weekends and that even some weeknights might be available if we wanted.

An initial phone call to Dan Heney on the Monday was met with a firm "NO", that he has spoken to me before (impossible) or "someone like me" and that whenever groups like mine call the answer is always no.  I didn't argue with him, apologized for wasting his time and ended the call.  Later that night I wrote him a big long email outlining the history of the CSCC, our not-for-profit status and what our club stands for, as well as our history with venues, the insurance we cover and described the sport of Autoslalom in great detail.  He responded with a (paraphrased) "We'll think about it".  It took until the new year to get a "no" from them, he says that there was extensive discussion with management but they decided they cannot accept the risk of having us run there.

As I understand they are the only training facility in the area, all fire fighters in Calgary and surrounding area must train there regularly to remain certified, and any interruptions to this could compromise that and potentially put lives at risk.  This sounds dire I agree, but I feel like there must be some middle ground here.  I think the worst damage we could do to the facility would be to break a fire hydrant or damage the chain link fence, and there must be something we can do such that in the event of such an incident they could continue training by Monday morning.

[94boosted]

A friend of a friend works in web design/marketing at the Calgary Fire Training Academy. He had suggested that I try to approach rental of this facility via the 3-1-1 route. I placed a call yesterday and the lady took down my information, later I received a phone call from a Fire Inspector who advised that facility rental needs to be done directly through the academy and gave me their generic phone # 403-268-8750. As I can see you've already gone down that path I will avoid contacting them myself in order to avoid annoying the person in charge. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

[zero10]

Right now the holdup with this facility is that we have been given a "no" by the person in charge of booking the venue, but his reasons sound like they may not be as set in stone as the word "no" implies.  We need to work on trying to enhance their understanding of just how low the risks are to their facility and also to help them understand the benefit we bring to the community and well, the city as a whole really.

Any avenues for doing this are worth pursuing.  My first thought was to try to gather some political support but if we have any contacts within the organization, particularly anybody who might be interested in cars or racing, they could prove VERY valuable.

[E6Cueman]

I talked with them a little bit myself last year, and have worked a couple of non-motorsports events on the site.

It is my personal feeling that the site itself isn't well suited to hosting a solo event.

• It is not a public area, and there is often equipment and debris on the grounds that could be a liability to attendees.  At the events I was involved in, participants were under direct supervision of staff at all times.  At a solo event where families show up with kids, friends stop by to see how things are going, this is an extreme challenge.  Couple that with a layout that is scattered over a very large area and it's even more challenging.
• The layout just isn't that conducive to a good solo course.  There is a lot of asphalt, but it's in tiny parking areas and connected by narrow roads.  You mentioned fire hydrants. There are fences and K rails as well.  Some of the road side ditches are deep with culverts and other concrete structures in them.  We could probably make it work, but I think it would feel claustrophibic in comparison to other options.

I spoke with Adrianne and Dan when I was on site last fall and heard basically that they were sympathetic to the fact that there aren't any motorsports venues, but they don't feel like motorsports events are a good fit for the facility.  Despite all its short comings I'd still be happy to run there, but I hope we can find better options to pursue.

[zero10]

Are we talking about the same lot?  I've attached a picture of the one I am talking about.  It has fire hydrants and a chain link fence at the perimeter but the lot size is about 70% of westerner park I thought, measuring nearly 150m in length and about 70m wide for most of it's length.  I don't recall any k-rail and when I visited the lot was clear of debris.
The surrounding road and sections of pavement on the east ends of the grounds belong to the Calgary Police and are not available to rent as far as I know.

I agree spectator access is a concern (i.e. non-existent) but if it becomes the only place that is willing to have us I'd totally run there.

[E6Cueman]

Your analysis of square footage agrees with mine, but I think 30% smaller than the current Westerner lot is pretty small.  I also didn't consider pitting in one of their regular service parking lots or on the east end.  You must be.

I thought the better course would on the east end where the "drag strip", service road and other small lot are.  That's where there are K rails and immovable objects lurking adjacent to asphalt... although is there not a fence that runs around the entire perimeter of the lot you pictured?

Not saying I wouldn't take it... but I think lobbying higher powers to try and make it happen is inordinate.