The Berwick Fire Department - early history

By the 1880s, the village of Berwick had a fire brigade, but still in its infancy.

Volunteers who joined the district group of firemen brought their own simple equipment of axes and buckets from home to emergencies. The more experienced firefighters made the decisions on how to handle the fires and took any risks involved, but everyone who was available joined the bucket brigade, passing pails of water along a line of people that stretched from the nearest water source to the fire.

The first indication Berwick was considering a more serious kind of fire protection was in 1903, when village leaders purchased a horse-driven ladder truck wagon and ladders.

A meeting of residents from the unincorporated town in January of 1915 marked the beginning of an official fire department, and its first fire chief: Samuel H. Parker, the village blacksmith, experienced firefighter and well-respected and popular leader in the community. To ensure the best response time with what equipment was available, two companies were organized at either end of Berwick, using the Cottage Street and Commercial Street intersection as the half-way mark. All combined, this first fire company totaled 25 volunteers and the grand sum of $100 was allotted to cover all equipment and expenses.

Incorporated in 1923, Berwick was in a much better position to establish a more modern and efficient fire department, and the following year’s budget allowed for six fire retardant suits, two new ladders, 30 buckets, two axes, two ripping bars and 200 feet of rope. The first chief under Berwick’s incorporation was Boyd A. Dakin, and the former chief, who retired after eight years of service, Samuel H. Parker, was appointed 1st Lieutenant.

The Bickle, the town’s first engine-operated fire truck, was purchased from Woodstock, Ontario in November of 1924 for $1,875. It was delivered by rail from Ontario in 1925 and was the pride of both the department and the community. The roads were so rough, when surrounding communities needed assistance, it was much faster to transport the Bickle by railcar from the Berwick station. On steep hills, the Bickle had to be driven in reverse as there was no fuel pump and raising the carburetor above the level of the fuel starved the engine.

Boyd Dakin retired as chief in 1930 and Forman Baltzer held the position until 1936, followed by Whitney West.

In 1939, the fire department was re-organized, and the town administration purchased a 1939 Bickle-Seagrave pumper at a cost of $3,600. There was a large variety of equipment bought that year, which included 12 new water pails and a 25-horsepower siren. There were numerous complaints the siren could not be heard across the town, and a more powerful siren was purchased the following year.

It wasn’t until 1941 the fire department began buying protective suits and boots and, even then, only a few at a time.

All throughout WWII, the membership played a very active role in raising money towards the war effort.

The cramped quarters of the Berwick town hall could not longer accommodate all the new equipment and increasing membership, and a new facility - still in use - opened in 1966.