Council for the Rural Municipality of Ritchot is exploring the idea of setting up a third fire hall.

Chief Administrative Officer Mitch Duval says Ste.Agathe could be getting a hall, due to the growth of that community and of the municipality.

The Ritchot Fire Department is hosting a volunteer firefighter recruitment information session Thursday, January 21 at the Ste.Agathe Community Hall. Duval explains the purpose is to do some recruiting and gauge interest from volunteers before going out and building a hall.

"If the recruitment drive is successful, then we will move to the next step which would be construction plans," says Duval.

Ritchot currently has halls in St.Adolphe and Ile des Chenes. Duval says combined, those two halls respond to between 90 and 100 calls per year.

According to Duval, if a hall is built in Ste.Agathe, it will likely go up at the west entrance of the community, off Provincial Road 305. Depending on final drawings, Duval says it could cost between $600,000 and $750,000.

Thursday's session begins at 7pm. Duval says it will provide opportunity to explain who the Ritchot Fire Department is, what it does, what it is looking for and what it is looking for in a volunteer. He notes the biggest thing is time commitment. He notes just completing Level 1 training requires a lot of hours.

Duval says they will need a minimum of 15 capable men and women to serve as volunteer firefighters in order to run a functional hall.

A similar information session is being planned for February 25th. Duval says he is hoping a final decision on the hall can be made by the end of March.