Ontario Construction News staff writer
A new fire training tower has been commissioned in St. Catharines, restoring a dedicated facility for local firefighters after nearly a decade of relying on training sites in neighbouring municipalities.
The $2.3-million tower was built on the footprint of the city’s former structure on Renown Road overlooking Twelve Mile Creek and Highway 406. The previous tower, originally constructed in 1974, was decommissioned in 2017 due to safety concerns.
Vineland-based contractor Duomax Developments Limited handled demolition of the former tower as well as foundations, assembly, electrical services and site work for the replacement structure.
The pre-engineered steel training tower was supplied by WHP Training Towers, with a significant portion of the steel fabricated in Canada. Design and consulting services were provided by Whiteline Architects Inc. and Hallex Engineering Ltd. The project team also included Brouwer Building Systems as the steel building contractor and Archaeological Services Inc.
Work on the tower began in July 2025 and reached substantial completion on Dec. 31, 2025, with final work completed in recent weeks.
The new facility will allow St. Catharines Fire and Emergency Services to conduct training exercises locally, including live-fire scenarios, rappelling and rope training, search and rescue operations, firefighter survival techniques and high-rise firefighting procedures.
Without a training tower, firefighters from St. Catharines had been travelling to Fort Erie, Niagara Falls and Grimsby for training. Some exercises were also carried out in municipal buildings, including stairwell runs and hose work in the Carlisle Street parking garage.
The project received $1 million in provincial funding to help support construction and assist the city in meeting new mandatory firefighter certification requirements in Ontario.
