From volunteers with horse-drawn wagons and water buckets to a highly trained force of more than 100 men and women, the Moncton Fire Department has come a long way in 150 years.
The legacy of the department is being celebrated this month with the ‘More Than Fires: 150 Years of Service’ exhibit at Resurgo Place museum.
Moncton Fire Department Chief Conrad Landry said it all started on Nov. 9, 1875, when a group of citizens decided to help their city.
“It was a bunch of men mostly that got together and said, ‘Hey, these buildings are burning. What can we do?’ So, they had these buckets and put it together,” said Landry. “They didn’t understand the science behind fire. They didn’t understand the potential health risk. They just did what they had to do to put the fire out.”
Landry said there’s a lot to learn from how far they’ve come and the evolution of the modern firefighter is amazing.
“From literally bucket brigades to now the technology of electric pumps and electric panels to put foam on a fire,” said Landry. “We don’t just put fires out. From electric vehicles to water rescue to high angle rescue, hazmat incidents. This world is a little more complex and complicated than it used to be and we had to evolve with that.”
The display features a variety of new and old equipment and clothing, and interactive challenges such as a fire extinguisher simulator so visitors can see what it’s like to be a firefighter.
Resurgo Place heritage development officer Sophie Auffrey said the museum worked closely with the department to put it all together.
“They were very helpful. They loaned us a lot of things. Some equipment. Some uniforms. They even came in and helped us dress the mannequins correctly which we would not have been able to do really,” said Auffrey.
Auffrey said the exhibit has been a big hit with children, but current and past firefighters and their families have also stopped by.
“One of them actually came in, really enjoyed the exhibition experience, and came back to loan us a beautiful painting that he did on the history of firefighting,” said Auffrey.
Landry said one of the biggest challenges of a modern firefighter is to keep up with the technology and training on new equipment.
“Now we’re getting busier, we’re getting a lot more calls so there’s less time to train so it’s a balancing act,” said Landry.
As for firefighters of the past, Landry was able to shed a little light on why many had such massive moustaches.
“Way back, a little history is that firefighters used to have big moustaches, a lot bigger than mine, to filter the smoke. Now we have breathing apparatus,” he said.
‘More Than Fires: 150 Years of Service’ is on display until the end of November.
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