Strathcona County lies in the center of Alberta, Canada’s energy and agricultural heartland. In this county is firehouse #6 which has the ubiquitous Dalmatian mascot, but this one rises to new heights.

From nose to tail, “Sadie” is twelve feet high. She is made of fiberglass and steel, but the nozzle of the hose she has in her mouth is finished in Luminore brass.  She greets visitors outside the station’s main doors as part of the County’s public art program. Created by artist Craig Le Blanc, inspiration for Sadie came from the design echoes of the fire station’s 19th century architectural influence, as well as, of course, the tradition of the Dalmatian as a classic symbol of fire services.

It started with the 3D file provided by the artist. F&D Scene Changes Ltd. carved a foam plug on a CNC mill, sculptors hand finishing the plug to the satisfaction of the artist. Next came the building of a metal armature to support the sculpture, especially at the vulnerable points. Once the frame was inserted, the dog form was mudded, sanded and a layer of polyurethane was applied. After drying and sanding, the hard coat was encapsulated in a final coat of fiberglass. then painted.  Interestingly, a particular challenge was that firehose and nozzle. Originally, there were plans to use an authentic fire hose, but it did not translate well in place because the scale was off. Different sizes of irrigation hoses were experimented with before one with a 6 inch diameter that fit the piece perfectly was settled upon. The hose was fitted with metal armature for strength and durability, and as mentioned before, the nozzle was actually a cast piece that was finished in Luminore brass.

Image from F&D Scene Changes