The Early Days
This page contains information on the Fort William Fire Department and Port Arthur Fire Department from their inception until approximately 1920.
The Early Days of Fort William's Fire Department
The modern Fire Department would not be what it is today without the experiences of the earliest brigades. Usually composed of volunteers, both the Fort William and Port Arthur Fire Brigades began their firefighting legacy simply and efficiently. In Fort William, the men were referred to as the “Fire Brigade” until 1905; the following year, annual reports changed the title to “Department”. In 1909, there were 25 volunteer firefighters in the Department. Two years later, the Department had grown, and consisted of one Fire Chief, two captains, 14 professional firefighters, and a number of volunteers.
The equipment and firefighting techniques used by the Department in the early 1900s were significantly different than those in use today. Before fire trucks and other such vehicles were widely available, horses were used for transportation to fires. Though the trucks of decades later required frequent maintenance (so much so that there was an on-site mechanic at the station), horses required stables, feed, veterinary service, and harnessing equipment, and needed to be replaced regularly.
A short 1905 report to the town hall contains a request for a stable, horses, harnesses, 500 feet of new hose and a hook and ladder outfit. A list of equipment at fire stations in 1909 consists of "Two Hook and Line machines, two hose wagons, one winter sleigh, one hose reel, one chemical apparatus, [and] 3,500 feet of hose" (1909 Henderson Directory). The Fire Department at this time was reliant on simple equipment and hard work in fighting fires.
During the 1920s motorized vehicles began to take the place of horses for transportation needs. In 1921, two motors were bought by the Fire Department and attached to buggies that had previously been drawn by horses. As a result, three horses were retired and another team of two was given to the City Works department. This was not the end of the horses’ service to the fire department, however. Although their use had declined, there was still plenty of work for horses to do, and the animals continued to be purchased and cared for.
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| Ward | Location |
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| 1 | North of Dease St., including the Coal Docks |
| 2 | Between Dease St. and Arthur St. S., and Island No. 1 |
| 3 | Between Arthur St. S. and Empire St. |
| 4 | Between Empire St. and the Kaministiquia River |
The Early Days of Port Arthur's Fire Department
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For the Fire Brigade in these years, equipment could be difficult to come by, and was even at times borrowed from private citizens. W. J. Schwigler, owner of “the Old Mining Exchange” hotel, owned an 1867 fire engine which he allowed the Brigade to use during fire emergencies. For some time this was the only fire engine available in Port Arthur. The 1867 engine may have been one of the three of its kind in North America.
One noteworthy characteristic of Port Arthur's Central station was its fire bell. The bell weighed 2,100 lbs and was given to the Fire Brigade in 1884, but was housed at the town hall, as the fire station was located at the Coal Docks during this time. After the Town Hall burnt down in 1907, the bell was moved to the fire hall.
The bell was made by the Jones Troy Bell Foundry Company in New York, with the following inscription: “This bell presented to the Town of Port Arthur Fire Brigade - April 15, 1884”. The bell's remarkable size had in fact been a mistake, as the designer had used the wrong proportions.
As expected, the bell was used for fire alarms, but was also used to signal the beginning of council meetings. Like in Fort William’s original alarm system, the number of tolls of the bell would signal which ward the fire was in, and continuous ringing would signal a general meeting. After the move to the Court St. station in 1907, the bell could not be heard, as the brick tower it was placed in was designed to be soundproof. A steel tower was constructed at the top of the tower, so that the bell could be heard again.
The fire bell was taken down in 1955 because it was deemed unsafe, and was stored in a Board of Works yard for several years. In 1961, the issue of mounting it surfaced again, and there was debate as to where the bell would be displayed: Connaught (Gore) Park, Waverley Park or Hillcrest Park. The bell is in Hillcrest Park to this day.
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For more information on this subject, or any other subject of interest, please visit or contact the City of Thunder Bay Archives.
