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FIRE STATION 8: Advancing Sustainability with Filterra in Alignment with Burnaby’s Climate Action Plan By Amin Rajabi The City of Burnaby has teamed up with Simon Fraser University to build Fire Station 8 on Burnaby Mountain, enhancing emergency response times and community safety. Construction began in 2023 with completion expected by late 2024, followed by full operational capacity in early 2025. Burnaby is managing the planning, design, and construction of Fire Station 8, while SFU provided the land at no cost. Key features of Fire Station 8 include a gross floor area of 15,000 square feet, three drive-through vehicle bays, a dedicated decontamination space for crews, and seismic design to meet post-disaster standards. Additionally, the station supports Burnaby’s Climate Action Plan through sustainable practices, such as using low-carbon energy with no natural gas, an energy-efficient envelope, a stormwater management system to reduce runoff impact, minimal material usage in interior finishes, reflective roofing to lower solar heat gain, and a solar-ready roof for future net-zero energy goals.
What is a Filterra? The project incorporates Filterra, a cutting-edge stormwater treatment system that uses high-performance bioretention to remove pollutants efficiently such as heavy sediments, metals, hydrocarbons, and debris. It includes specialized filter media and offers pre-treatment for both above-ground and shallow underground storage needs. Validated by the ISO 14034 Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program, Filterra’s long-term effectiveness is assured through strict quality control. Designed for urban settings, it’s ideal for applications like parking lots and residential streets, meeting the 80% total suspended solids (TSS) removal standard commonly required for urban runoff management. It serves as a Low Impact Development (LID) solution for heavily developed sites due to the extremely high flow rate treatment provided by the engineered media. Filterra can be configured in many ways to enhance site aesthetics, integrate with other LID practices, or improve runoff reduction through infiltration below or downstream of the system. www.langleyconcretegroup.com/products/filterra
Installation of the precast concrete Filterra stormwater treatment system at Fire Station 8.