• Visitors
  • Who We Are
  • Our History
  • Our Affiliations
• Members
  • Local News
  • Secured News
  • Online Library
  • Discussion Forum
  • Links of Interest
  • Shift Schedule
  • Event Schedule
  • Email
  • Register/Update
  • Forgotton Password
• Photo Gallery
• Admin
  • Post News
  • Access Mgmt.
  • Forum Mgmt.
  • Calendar Mgmt.
  • Server Mgmt.

History of The Whitby Fire Department

The earliest known Fire Department origins began around 1827. At this time a manually operated hand pumper was built in Port Whitby by Mr. H. Spenger. The Unit was originally built and used to protect the grain elevators at Windsor Bay , now known as Port Whitby Harbour and Marina .

The Town of Whitby Fire protection did not come into an organized existence until 1851. At this time a privately operated company organized by Nathaniel Ray was established. In 1857, a fire brigade and hook and ladder company were formed under the by-law passed by the Town Council. The  engine company, operating the hand pumper, consisted of 25 men. The hook and ladder company consisted of 20 men.

It was customary in the case of serious fires to send a rider to Oshawa to obtain that community’s fire engine service. One Halloween night fire, a rider was sent, but he could not obtain the Oshawa engine as the keyholder to the Fire Hall was no where to be found. The fire loss was extensive, causing damage amounting to $40,000.00.

Water supply for the Fire Department was a problem in the early days. The firefighters were provided equipment by the Town to dig wells which served as water supplies. Not only did the firefighters have to dig their own wells, but they also had to pay for their uniforms. Uniforms of the day cost $5.00 a piece.

By 1872 the Town had suffered several severe fire losses and public complaint had required the Town Council to act on the matter. On October 1872, the long awaited Merryweather Steam Fire Engine arrived. Made in London , England , it was a marvelous piece of firefighting apparatus. The Merryweather weighed 2500 pounds and cost $3,000.00. It was frost proof being specially made for Canadian climates. The engine could pump water from a downtown well and shoot a water stream 15 feet over the steeple of All Saints Anglican Church.

Only a month after it arrived in Whitby , the Merryweather fire engine proved its worth by saving downtown Oshawa . A rider was sent to Whitby and a team of fresh horses was hitched to the Merryweather engine half way between the two communities. At last Whitby was able to pay Oshawa back for sservice it had rendered in the past.

In 1879, a bell tower was rung whenever a fire alarm was turned in. When the bell sounded, anyone within hearing distance would unhitch his team of horses from his wagon and race to the Fire Hall. The first team to arrive pulled the Merryweather and received a $7.00 reward. The second team to arrive was refunded $5.00 while the third team would receive $3.00.

The Merryweather served faithfully for 54 years, being replaced in 1926 by Whitby ’s first motorized fire trucks. These were a Godferson Pumper and a Chevrolet chemical truck purchased by the Town at a cost of $10,200.00.

In 1931, a siren replaced the Fire Bell. This was part of a new reorganization of the Fire Department and the growing needs of the Fire Department. The new siren could be heard at a distance of a mile and a half.

The old uptown Fire Hall was replaced in 1965 by the present building now called Hall 3. The new building would serve as Headquarters when Brooklin and Garrard Road Fire Departments were amalgamated in 1968.

The next big step for the Town of Whitby began with the hiring of its first full-time firefighter. In 1969, Chief Ed Crouch started in the Whitby Fire Department and 5 full-time firefighters were hired the following year. This was the end of 120 years of completely volunteer service. Service for which Whitby was proud to have.

In 1995 the Whitby Fire Depatrtment had grown to a service of 70 full-time members and 60 volunteers. The Department covers 56 square miles with a population of approxiamately 70,000. There are 6 Fire Stations located within the Town. Stations in Myrtle and Brooklin are manned by volunteers. Stations located on Brock Street and Headquarters on Taunton Road are manned by both full-time and volunteers, and Stations on Thickson Road and Highway 2 are manned by Full-Time firefighters. The new headquarters located on Taunton Road houses our Fire Prevention and Training Divisions as well as our Administration.

There has been tremendous growth  from early hand-drawn pumpers to todays motorized high tech equipment, and Whitby Fire and Emergency Services has grown with the Community to meet their life safety needs.

As we endeavour to prepare for our future challenges and wonder what lies ahead, we need to take a moment and remember those who served us so proudly in the past.

“Ever Alert”