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Promoting the Halifax Fire Department History Through Research and Awareness
Photo credit: Nova Scotia Archives
A few days after Cornwallis arrived in Chebucto (Halifax) Harbour in June of 1749, two hand pumped fire engines were unloaded from his ship, the Sphynx, so the potential for fire …
1752 First Fire Regulations • On September 29, 1752 Edward Cornwallis' successor, Governor Peregrine Hopson, and his Council enacted the first fire regulations for the…
1837 - Grand Parade Fire House was built and opened. The lower two stories housed three of the Union Engine Company’s manually drawn and hand pumped engines with their hose …
1856 – Near the most Southern end of Argyle on the West side of the street, construction began on a firehouse to house the Axe Fire Company. A hook and ladder company, these…
No. 1 "Victoria" Steam Fire Engine • First Steam Fire Engine in Canada • …
No. 2 "Albert" Steam Fire Engine • Amoskeag Serial No 37 • Second Class Harp Style …
The Halifax Fire Historical Society (HFHS) was created in order to retrace some of the lost or little known Halifax Fire Department history, through retired member accounts and re…
1879 Hose Carriage "Alert" • Used as hose supply for the 1861 steamer Victoria &…
Resolved that the board of Fire Wards be instructed to purchase a suitable ladder cart for the Axe Fire Company the cost of which shall not exceed $300 moved by Alderman O'Con…
The chemical engines were essentially 30 gallon soda-acid extinguishers on wheels. 2 1/2 pounds of bicarbonate of soda was dissolved into 30 gallons of water. Approxim…
1894 Chemical and Ladder Combination • Manufactured by Babcock Manufacturing Co. The chemical engines were essentially 30 gallon soda-acid extinguishers on wh…
1896 Shand And Mason Steamer "Battenburg/Devonshire" • 350 Imperial gallon steam fire engine built by Shand and Mason in 1896 for the Halifax Dockyard. In 1908 t…
1906 – On April 2nd 1904, the city purchased the property known as “The Little Fuel Yard” on the Southeast corner of Bedford Row and Prince St. The current house…
1909 Horton 80' Aerial • The following research was done by friend of the Halifax Fire Historical Society, Pete Ziobrowski, our go-to for all things historically archi…
Registration Number: 249 Sales Order: 45624 Shipped: 6/2/1913 Tender Accepted: On October 1st, 1912, Hal…
Details surrounding the Halifax Explosion pertaining to the Halifax Fire Department
"Cornwallis" 1917 American LaFrance Pumper Toronto, Ont., November 28, 1917. Mr. L. Fred. Monaghan, City Clerk, Halifax, N. S. Dear …
June 5th 1917, from Board of Control Minutes: It was decided to allow selection of a car for the Chief of the Fire Department to rest with His Worship the Mayor and Contro…
On April 18, 1918, the Board of Control minutes state that: "On recommendation of Controller Hines, it is decided to call the new Motor Fire Engine at present being construct…
June 6th 1918 from Board of Control Minutes: Tenders are received and opened for a motor car for the Chief of the Fire Department. Nova Motor Co. Royal Mail C…
Built for the City of Toronto as an ice-breaking fire tug in 1929 by Collingwood Dry Dock, Shipbuilding and Foundry Company in Collingwood, Ontario, she was found t…
1939 The Queen Hotel Fire On the morning of March 2nd, 1939, the night clerk employed by the Queen Hotel discovered dense smoke rising up the…
During the night of April 30th 1943, fire ripped through the roughly 80 year old warehouse on Mitchell's Wharf causing extensive damage to the front section o…
Do you have family or close friends that once served with the Halifax Fire Department or even before that with the Union Engine Company, Union Protection Company or any of the many fire related services that operated on behalf of the Insuring Companies in Halifax? We want to talk to you!
Documents, photos, scrapbooks, artifacts and even stories passed down are all important to us. We are constantly digging to find, document and preserve our history. Your help is necessary to keep this information available for generations to come and not let it become lost forever.
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1749
After the first structures had been erected in Halifax, two fire engines were unloaded from Edward Cornwallis’ ship, the Sphynx, the care of which was given to the military.
1917
To date, Halifax has the mournful distinction of having the largest Line Of Duty Death in Canadian history. Halifax Fire lost 9 members on the morning of the Hal…
1754
The Union Fire-Club was the first organized fire department in Halifax and in Canada. This fire company was mainly made of the Town’s merchant élite, some of which later became politicians. Among them were Benjamin Green, who came in…
1837
The very first dedicated firehouse in Canada was built in Halifax's Grand Parade in 1837.
1917
On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mont-Blanc, laden with high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastating the …
The Halifax Fire Historical Society (HFHS) was created in order to retrace some of the lost or little known Halifax Fire Department history, through retired member accounts and research at various municipal and provincial archives. It is operated and maintained by some of the Department's own members.
