The historic Port Kells Fire Hall was first constructed as an agricultural hall in 1923. After a few different leaseholders, the District of Surrey took it over for use as a firehall in 1947, contributing significantly to the growth of Port Kells as a suburban community. The large main floor space, which had been so useful to the Farmers Institute, was used to house fire trucks for a volunteer fire fighting force. In the 1960s, an addition was designed to provide space to the larger trucks of the era. In 2000, the fire hall was placed on the Surrey Heritage Register. While its heritage status preserved the site when the hall was decommissioned in 2016, it no longer had a purpose. The hall was slated for renovation in 2017, after the Surrey Firefighters Union, Local 1271, was looking for a building to house their offices. As executive Saverio Lattanzio said, “the stars and moons aligned” to allow Fire Hall #7 to become a solution. Renovating the hall would give the union a home and provide space to the larger community.Surrey firefighters spent two years working on the project in a grassroots effort of historic preservation to give Port Kells #7 Fire Hall a new lease on life. They contributed time, mechanical know-how, and muscle power: from structural work, to refinishing, and artistic projects. Teams installed the heavy brushed-steel countertop at the bar and placed the I-beam supports through the main hall. The restoration crew also reached out to the community, who donated time and supplies to various projects around the hall. In working together on the project, the firefighters of 1271 became historic preservationists. Ironically, in their wishes to showcase historical elements, they were sometimes frustrated by the fire code which required that a wood wall they’d hoped to showcase had to be hidden behind drywall. Still, they maintained and protected the structure, and carefully curated historic elements throughout the building.   One requirement to the renovation was that the three original doors to the firehall must be kept. However, the design for the space meant these doors would be sealed. The firefighters needed something to prevent people from mistaking them for real doors, and to protect the building’s historical artifacts from smash-and-grab invasion. Reliance donated steel pipe for permanent bollards and R-7591 decorative bollards in ductile iron to help protect the site.