The Banff Fire Hall is where the rubber hits the roof.
The building’s aging roof is currently being replaced with fire-resistant recycled tires thanks to a $10,970 grant from the Alberta Recycling Management Authority.
While the majority of the fire hall’s roof was already covered in fire-resistant material, the peaked and gabled roof facing the street of the 83-year-old heritage building was untreated cedar shakes. Replacing it with a recycled rubber shake-look product protects critical infrastructure, as well as demonstrates this environmentally-friendly technology.
The fire hall’s new roof material contains 70 per cent recycled tire rubber from Alberta tires, and approximately 95 per cent recycled content. Combined with a fire-resistant underlay, the system will be a Class A fire resistant roof and have a life expectancy of 60 to 80 years. Approximately 5,440 square feet is being replaced at the fire hall, along with the roof on the Town’s building at the canoe docks, and recreation grounds picnic shelters.
Since this provincial program began in 1992, 112 million tires have been recycled in Alberta, and $10 million has been granted to municipalities for demonstration projects. The Town has been receiving old tires at the transfer station for more than a decade, averaging about 15 tonnes a year. The tires are picked up by one of Alberta Recycling’s registered recyclers, and turned into products such as playgrounds, tennis courts and running track surfaces, in addition to roofing tiles and other building products. By resurfacing the fire hall roof with recycled tires, the Town is closing the loop on scrap tire recycling.
Upgrading roofs is a way for the community to become more FireSmart. The Town of Banff offers homeowners a financial incentive to replace unrated combustible roofs. Residents can apply for the incentive at
banff.ca/fire.