Did you know that Thorold had 3 firehalls? 1st - 1854-1878 a fire hall was built on the vacant lot between Towpath and Front Street, directly opposite the site of the old fire hall. (south side of Albert st. gone now) 2nd - 1878-1965 (old firehall still standing) north side of Albert st. 3rd - 1965 to today on Towpath street. Here is the full write up. With Files from the book, Thorold 1850-1975 On the morning of March 18, 1847, a frame store and dwelling on what is now the northeast corner of Front and Clairmont Streets, was on fire. An alarm was raised, which brought out the inhabitants of the community in full force to fight the flames. However, despite their strenuous efforts, all the buildings on the east side of Front Street, as far north as the corner now occupied by the Summit House, were burned to the ground. As this disaster demonstrated the necessity for some system of fire protection, a Hook and Ladder Company was soon organized, and remained in existence for some years, but as it was not managed on sound business principles, it ran into difficulties, financially and otherwise, and its members eventually disbanded. The question of proper provision for the protection of the village in case of fire was frequently discussed, and on Aug. 29, 1853, a meeting was held at which the Thorold Protection Fire Company was organized. No complete roll of the original members is in existence, but the minutes of the Company show that a considerable number of active members were enrolled on the same evening, and several leading citizens elected as honorary members. At subsequent meetings, a uniform was decided upon, and resolutions were passed requesting the council erect a fire hall and appoint a committee to select a suitable site for the proposed building. The organization of the Company was ratified by the municipal council on April 4, 1854, and a fire hall was built on the vacant lot between Towpath and Front Street, directly opposite the site of the old fire hall. The Company asked the council for 10 additional men in 1867, and the salary of each man was raised to $4 per year. The Company occasionally held concerts and entertaining events, the proceeds of which were devoted to the relief of the poor in the village, as well as other charitable purposes. In 1878, the name was changed to Protection Hose Company No. 1, a name its members still bear with pride today. A bylaw was passed to pay the driver of the first team of horses who arrived at the fire hall to draw the fire engine the sum of $5. The contract to build the second fire hall was given in 1878, and the building was completed the following year on the north side of Albert Street, directly opposite the original hall. A bell was purchased and installed at a cost of $440.40. When an alarm was put in from one of the boxes situated throughout the town, the number assigned to the box that was pulled was counted by the bell. By listening for the count, the volunteer firemen could determine from which section of town the alarm was sounded and save considerable time by not having to stop at the fire hall for instructions. The bell was in operation until October of 1964. When the department moved to its new quarters at that time, a crane was brought into town and the bell was removed from the tower as a safety precaution, due to some doubts regarding the strength of the tower. Early in 1967, the membership of Protection Hose Company No. 1 voted in favour of requesting permission from town council to mount this bell on a suitable site in front of the present fire hall, with a suitably inscribed plaque indicating this act being one of the volunteers’ Centennial projects in 1967. Council approved the request and the job was completed. In 1881, the men received an increase in pay amounting to $6 per year. The following year, the salary of the engineers was raised to $100 per year, and by a motion from council, the captain was to serve oysters to the men after every fire. In 1887, the Company elected to obtain a fancy hose carriage for exhibition purposes. The carriage arrived in 1888 at a cost of $900 and the members agreed to allow their yearly salaries to remain until the carriage was paid. The Company also asked the council for the $300 they promised from the sale of the old hand pumper to buy the new hose wagon. A drill team was formed in 1903. Attired in fancy black and white trimmed uniforms with fancy white helmets, the firemen drew applause wherever they went, and became famous throughout Ontario and New York state, participating in parades and carnivals and invariably bringing home cups and trophies to add to their rapidly growing collection in the fire hall. In 1912, the Company changed its bylaws to include a fire chief, and Frank Ekins was appointed, at a salary of $40 per year. In 1914, the Board of Works ordered plans and specifications from a St. Catharines architect for a barn at the fire hall to house a team of horses to be available in case of fire. This new plan did away with the former payment of $5 to the first teamster arriving at the fire hall, and consequently, much of the excitement – and minor brawls – which accompanied the payment. The Company showed its loyalty by sending one-third of its membership overseas to fight in World War I in 1915. While overseas, the Company forwarded them their yearly salary as well as sending cigarettes each month. A new pumper was purchased by the town in 1971, and affectionately nicknamed ‘Old Bess.’ Following the outbreak of World War II, the Protection Hose Company was the first to organize an Air Raid Protection unit, which consisted of 42 men, and the Ottawa government supplied two pumpers, a hose, boots, coats, hats, coveralls, stirrup pumps and all types of bombs. Practices and blackouts were held in the town. When the government asked for volunteers to help the metropolitan firemen in England during the days of the blitz, seven Thorold men answered the call. Twelve other members joined the various armed forces.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:27:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015