The town of Huntingdon honoured the 150th anniversary of the founding of its fire department in 1876 with a community-wide celebration on August 29. Hundreds attended the party, which featured fire trucks and equipment displays, bouncy games and face painting for children, grillades, and line dancing.
The event paid tribute to both past and current firefighters who, with courage and great dedication, formed and continue to operate the town’s fire brigade. “We have to acknowledge the present fire department, but we also have to acknowledge that it is an important part of our history, and if nobody talks about it, it won’t be told,” said Huntingdon mayor André Brunette.
The Huntingdon Fire Department is now led by Marc Sherry, who replaced Marc Voyer earlier this summer when he stepped back after a decade as fire chief. Sherry joined the squad at 18 years old in 2005, and he has worked his way up through lieutenant and operations chief roles.
Sherry explained that since joining the brigade over 20 years ago, he has witnessed the transformation of local firefighting from a quasi-volunteer service to a highly professional, technically demanding job. He emphasized the responsibility of continuing the 150-year tradition, ensuring the department evolves effectively while remaining operational for future generations.
“You can’t get a more satisfying job. You get [to a fire] and everything is upside down, not going well, and you leave and the situation is under control,” said Sherry. “You see people on their worst day, but it is part of the job, and you do what you have to do,” he added, noting that in this sense, firefighting has not changed.
The kinds of fires they are called to fight, on the other hand, have changed. “Back in the day, the buildings were mostly all wood. There were no plastics, no foams, and no electricity,” he explained. These newer components react differently to fire and are more difficult to extinguish. Buildings are also more airtight, which increases the possibility of backdrafts, smoke, and explosions.
Techniques and equipment have evolved to address these new challenges, but the job is more technical and dangerous. The fire department is also adapting to the growing population and the town’s construction boom. Sherry confirmed that the town is looking into renovating the station to make it bigger, as well as purchasing a new ladder truck to reach the upper storeys of new buildings. This new truck would be added to the existing fleet of three firefighting trucks and a first-responder vehicle.
The department was not always so well equipped. According to Gleaner archives, it was in 1925 that the town first began to significantly invest in the fire department with the purchase of a booster pump. The firefighters had a hose reel with several hundred feet of hose, but they relied on the pressure at the hydrants for water. The booster pump allowed the men to extinguish fires much more quickly.
In 1927, the town built a fire hall to store the equipment. At this time, the hose reel was drawn to fires by hand along with the booster pump. Sometimes there was a horse that could pull the equipment, or a car was available. Winter made this especially complicated. In 1928, the town purchased its first fire truck, which carried the hose, ladders and other equipment, while the booster pump was towed behind the truck.
By 1945, the town had invested in helmets, coats and boots for the brigade, as well as gas masks and early breathing apparatuses. A second fire engine was purchased in 1947, and this vehicle was on display during the anniversary event.
The town has continued to equip the fire department over the years, investing in new vehicles, hoses, personal protective equipment, breathing apparatuses, and new helmets, as well as rescue tools, thermal imaging cameras, and gas detectors.
Last year, the department responded to 99 calls, including those that came through the mutual aid network. Huntingdon has already responded to 67 calls this year, including fires, alarms, electrical verifications, flooding and other climate-related incidents.
“It took a lot of courage and a lot of responsibility to come forward and help out the community by forming a fire brigade,” said Mayor Brunette of those who made up first department in 1876. He then acknowledged the dedication of today’s firefighters and their work to keep the community safe.
Brunette noted that while the event was a family activity designed to commemorate the town’s firefighting history, it also served as an important reminder about fire prevention.