The Halifax Fire Department served the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia prior to the 1996 amalgamation of the various municipalities of Halifax County into the Halifax Regional Municipality.
History[]
The Halifax Fire Department is one of the oldest in Canada, tracing its formation back to 1754 when the Union Fire Club was organized. In 1768, the club was replaced by the Union Fire Company, which protected the city until 1894. Several salvage companies were also established during this time, and the citizens of Halifax could also count on firefighters from assorted area military establishments in times of need. The first steam fire engine arrived in 1861, bringing with it controversy and hard feelings among the volunteer firefighters.
The Halifax Fire Department itself was formed in 1894 with a full-time chief. The Union Fire Company continued as a volunteer organization.
Nine firefighters died during the December 6 1917 Halifax Explosion, the largest man-made explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima. Two munitions ships collided in Halifax Harbour and the resulting fire ignited the SS Mont Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying high explosives. The HFD had responded to a nearby pier in their 1913 American LaFrance Type 12 pumper (named The Patricia) and were caught in the initial explosion. Four of the six firefighters were killed instantly and another died later in hospital. Approximately 2000 people were killed in the explosion and aftermath.
The HFD was a full-time fire service with 86 men by 1919, and was fully motorized ten years later. Halifax Harbour became a major naval port during World War II. Air Raid Precaution Groups formed throughout the city and surrounding area during the war. The 1945 Bedford Magazine Explosion caused fears of a repeat of the 1917 Halifax Explosion, but firefighters were able to get the fire at the naval ammunition magazine under control. Expansion of the city boundaries in the late 1960s brought suburban areas previously protected by the Armdale Fire Department and Spryfield Fire Department into HFD jurisdiction.
Uniquely in Canada, Halifax experienced two labour stoppages by the Fire Department. One four-day strike occurred in 1980, and the second, lasting over a month, in 1982. Managers and civilian volunteers filled in for the striking firefighters in both instances.
In 1996, Halifax was amalgamated with Dartmouth and the surrounding municipalities of Halifax County, and the fire department became part of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service.
Fire Stations[]
| Station | Address | In Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2505 Oxford Street | 1950-1969 | Converted to a multi-unit residence. |
Apparatus[]
- 1990 E-One Hurricane quint (1050/300/75')
- 1989 Duplex / LTI / Phoenix platform (-/-/90' platform)
- 1987 Pemfab 95 / Thibault / 1994 NovaQUINTECH quint (1250/400/100' rear-mount) (Pump added by NovaQUINTECH in 1994)
- 1986 International CO1950B / Thibault pumper (840/500) (SN#T86-152)
- 1986 International CO1950B / Thibault pumper (840/500)
- 1982 Pemfab 93 / Pierreville pumper (1250/500) (SN#PFT-1222)
- 1982 Pemfab 93 / Pierreville pumper (1250/500)
- 1981 Pemfab / Pierreville pumper (1250/500) (SN#PFT-1192)
- 1980 Ford L / King pumper (1500/500) (SN#800001)
- 1977 Hendrickson / King pumper (1050/500) (SN#77003)
- 1977 American LaFrance Century aerial (-/-/100' rear-mount) (SN#5194) (Rehab- canopy cab enclosed) (Sold to Friendship Fire Company (Delaware County, Pennsylvania))
- 1976 Scot C1FD / Thibault pumper (1050/500) (SN#T76-133) (Sold to Milford Fire Department)
- 1976 Scot C1FD / Thibault pumper (1050/500) (SN#T76-115) (Sold to Milford Fire Department)
- 1974 Scot / King aerial (-/-/85' Snorkel) (SN#73042)
- 1970 GMC Transit coach command
- 1968 King Model 884KB pumper (1050/300) (SN#67046/67050)
- 1968 King Model 884KB pumper (1050/300) (SN#67047/67051)
- 1967 King Model 884KB pumper (1050/300) (SN#65174)
- 1967 KB Custom King pumper (SN#65142)
- 1967 King Model 884KB pumper (1050/300) (SN#65173)
- 1967 King pumper (1050/300) (SN#65143)
- 1966 Seagrave / King Seagrave aerial (-/-/100' tractor-drawn aerial) (King Seagrave SN#67046-7 & 72217) (Seagrave SN#Q-1495)
- 1963 GMC T96603 / King pumper (625/?) (SN#63060) (Former Spryfield)
- 1963 GMC T96603 / King pumper (625/?) (SN#63059) (Former Armdale)
- 1962 LaFrance 912-PEC pumper (1050/?) (SN#N61-6400)
- 1959 King Seagrave Custom pumper (840/?) (SN#L-5300)
- 1957 LaFrance 812-PEO pumper (1050/300?) (SN#9476) (Ex-Engine 6; ex-Engine 4) (Sold to Petite Riviere Volunteer Fire Department)
- 1956 LaFrance 785-AEO aerial (-/-/85' mid-mount) (SN#L-9427) (Ex-Aerial 3)
- 1946 LaFrance B612-CO pumper (840/?) (SN#8251) (Sold to Barney's River District Fire Department)
- 1945 LaFrance JOX aerial (-/-/85' mid-mount) (SN#L-2019)
- 1942 LaFrance pumper (840/?)
- 1937 pumper
- 1919 LaFrance Type 31 aerial (-/-/75' tractor-drawn)
- 1918 LaFrance Type 12 pumper (840/?)
- 1917 LaFrance Type 12 triple combination pumper (840/?) (SN#1635) (Purchased by St. Catharines Fire Department; never delivered, sold by LaFrance to Halifax in November 1917, ended up replacing the 1913 LaFrance destroyed in December 6 1917 explosion)
- "Patricia" - 1913 American LaFrance Type 12 pumper (840/?) (First gas powered LaFrance pumper delivered in Canada) (Destroyed in the December 6 1917 Halifax Explosion)
- 1912 LaFrance Type 31 aerial (-/-/75')