GENERAL HISTORY OF THORNHILL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT

Original impetus for formation was supplied by Bill Young.   Mr. Young had a house fire, and with no fire department response to assist, he was integral in providing the local momentum in having a department started, so others would not go through what he and his family had.

First organizational meeting was held in September 1973, with about 28 members present.  The department operated through the fall and winter using borrowed trucks and some of their own equipment.  In the early days, the members of the department participated in various fundraising activities, accepted donations, and finally a referendum held by the Regional District; which passed 85% in favour for fire protection funding.

Williams Moving & Storage donated garage space in their warehouse for the first winter. At different times, trucks were on loan from Twin River Timber, Crown Zellerbach, and B.C Fire Marshall.

The initial training supplied to the members of this newly formed fire department came from across the river, in Terrace.  Mr. Andy Owens  and Mr. Cliff Best (both are past Fire Chiefs of the Terrace Fire Department) provided their friendship and the invaluable training to these enthusiastic volunteers.  If not for their time and generosity, the department would of endured more struggles through the early times in regards to training and safety.

Membership through the winter of 1973-74 held around 12 steady members. Thornhill's first fire chief was Don Furnseth, holding the position from September 1973 until August of 1974, when he left the area to work on Vancouver Island.  His replacement was Mr. Harold Ludditt.

Later in 1974, Past Chief Ludditt provided a written summary to the Regional District Board, outlining the past year of the fire department;

In the spring of 1974 repairs were completed to Thornhill's own fire truck, a 1952 Ford.   This first fire apparatus was purchased and donated to the fire department by Mr. Bill Young.  This used fire truck was bought in Port Edward, BC.  There was also an arrangement to be loaned a 1952 Chevy from the Provincial Emergency Program.

The following letter was received by the Thornhill Fire Department, outlining the appreciation of their efforts by the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District Board.  This letter is proudly displayed to this day in a frame within the members lounge within the main fire hall.

The membership gradually grew and during the winter of 1974 - 1975, the department had a steady membership of 16 members.

This add was run in December 1974 and someone wrote along the top of the ad was the words

"NO RESPONSE"

 

 

A major accomplishment was achieved in 1974, when one insurance company recognized the ability of the Thornhill Volunteer Fire Department, by reclassifying the Thornhill area as having fire protection and lowering the fire insurance rates to the residents. 

In the spring of 1975, the fire department applied to the Regional District for a referendum for approval for construction of a new fire hall, and the purchase of a new fire truck.   The requested amount of money was $150,000 for both.  On June 21st, 1975, the referendum approved the requested amount for the fire department by a margin of 95.2% voting in favour.  An unwavering support that exists by residents still to this day, as residents still proud to this day of their local fire department, and its accomplishments by the volunteer members who worked hard in building it from the ground up.

The fire truck purchased from the approved funding was a brand new Saskatoon Fire Engine built on a 1975 Dodge chassis.  It had 800 gallons of water, and front mounted pump.  This truck served the residents without failure until it was retired from service in the spring of 1995.

In the following months, a valuable addition to the equipment was the donation of a 1700 gallon tanker by the Twin River Division of Canada Cellulose, as Thornhill was yet to have fire hydrants, requiring the use of tankers to haul water to the fires.  The first fire hydrants were installed by the school board off of their private water system installed for the three schools in Thornhill.

In November 1975, a third Fire Chief in two years.  Mr. Ron Bartlett took over from a departing Harold Ludditt, and the fire department was yet to see stability under one leader for any length of time to provide for it's long term direction.  Past Chief Barlett only served for six months, leaving the position of Fire Chief vacant again in May 1976.

The department members, and residents had a new Fire Chief in 1976, who played an important role in the continued development of the local fire service.  Mr. Jim Piper filled the vacated position in May 1976, a role he maintained for over eight years until his departure in August of 1984.  Mr. Piper's name became synonymous with the Thornhill Fire Department, and left a local legacy that many long time residents still talk about today.  He is fondly remembered along with the volunteer firefighters of the day as being group of hard working volunteers who kept the public's best interests at heart.

In 1981, the Regional District approved the purchase of a new fire apparatus built by Pierre Thibault Ltd, the largest and most well known Canadian manufacturer of fire apparatus.  The purchase was for a pumper truck with a 55' telescopic ladder with a master stream.  The truck had a 500 gallons of water, with a 1050 gpm pump.  Past Chief Jim Piper, and Past Assistant Chief Claude Mercereau, drove the truck from Quebec, back to Thornhill in the fall of 1981.

The purchase of this truck put the Thornhill Fire Department in a solid position with apparatus, as the other main pumper was only six years old.  The worries about fire apparatus was over for the time being, although the volunteer firefighters association raised money on their own to continue operating water tankers, which were of the used and/or home built variety.

The community lost Past Chief Piper due to his move to Ontario in 1984, leaving big boots to fill, which fortunately was filled by the department's longest serving Fire Chief to date, Mr. Art Hoving.

Past Chief Hoving took over the position of Fire Chief in August 1984, and led the department until his retirement in April 1995.  In his 11 years as Fire Chief, he provided solid direction, and leadership.  He showed great patience to all until challenged, then he showed why he was Fire Chief.  He allowed for the department to be operated by committee, and would allow members to voice input into the operation of the department.  Past Chief Hoving was the first Fire Chief to become paid part time, and although he has been retired since 1995, is still considered as a member to the department, attending our annual Christmas banquet every year.

In April of 1995, Mr. Guy Belanger was approved by the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District to become the sixth Fire Chief of the Thornhill Fire Department.  He assumed the part-time paid position that Past Chief Hoving had, and became instrumental along with Deputy Chief Art Hill, Assistant Chief Wes Patterson, and Assistant Chief Mike Jones in taking the Thornhill Fire Department in a direction that no one back in 1974 would of dreamed was possible just barely 20 years later.  This new direction was expanding the fire department's protection area, apparatus, members and halls.

The areas being looked at in an expansion, referred to as Skeena South (Lakelse Lake, Jackpine and Water Lily Bay), and Skeena East (Gossen Creek, Kleanza, and Usk) were small areas, relatively close but were outside the fire protection area established by a Kitimat-Stikine Regional District by-law.  Previously to this time, the Thornhill Volunteer Firefighters' Association, supplied tankers to go to these areas to assist in fighting house fires.  This was not recognized as fire protection to these residents, but merely as a "goodwill" service, keeping with the philosophy of why the department was started.  Remember, nobody responded to Bill Young's house fire in 1973.

Through public consultation, and the assistance of the Office of the Fire Commissioner a viability study was done on fire protection was done to these rural areas.  Fire Safety Officer Ed Beaulieu of the Office of the Fire Commissioner provided a detailed report, outlining the best way to provide the fire protection to these areas, but made some recommendations to improve the overall quality of the fire service.  This report provided the basis to go to referendum, and see if the local public still supported their fire department the same way as they had in the past.

In the spring of 1996, the fire protection referendum passed with flying colours, paving the way for the Thornhill Fire Department to nearly double its size in equipment and apparatus, but to expand by two fire halls, both nearly 20 kilometres away from the main fire hall in opposite directions.  This created a fire boundary that starts on Highway 16 East at Chindemash Creek bridge, ending 50 kilometres away on Highway 37 South past Mount Layton Hot Springs, encompassing many small subdivisions, and rural areas along the way.

Past Chief Guy Belanger became, albeit briefly, the first full time Fire Chief of the Thornhill Fire Department, one of the recommendations done by FSO Ed Beaulieu's report on the expansion of the fire protection area. 

Through this time, the department took possession of a new 1994 Freightliner FL80 fire truck built by Anderson Engineering.  It was built with the expansion in mind, coming with a 1000 gallon water tank, with 1050 gpm pump, and rear suction for drafting from a portable water tank.  This truck was purchased to replace the 1975 Dodge fire truck that the department had purchased new from Saskatoon Fire Engines.

In May of 1997, Past Chief Belanger left the position unexpectedly, allowing long time Deputy Fire Chief Art Hill to become appointed the seventh Fire Chief.

Chief Hill took over during a time when the fire expansion was just starting, and had to quickly make sure that the smooth transition would continue in maintaining the respected local fire service he had been part of for so long, and expand the department to nearly double in size, recruit new volunteers to operate out of fire halls that hadn't even been built yet, and with apparatus that has yet to arrive.

The Thornhill Fire Department took possession of several new apparatus between 1996 and 1998 to complete the expansion of the fire department.  In late 1996, the department took possession of another Freightliner FL80 Pumper from Anderson Engineering, with the same specs as the first one, except with a transverse pump panel.  This truck is currently stationed in the Skeena East area in Gitaus. 

The purchase of a 1996 Freightliner FL80 1500 gallon tanker built by Superior Fire Trucks was next, to replace the older tankers that the volunteer association had operated many years.  A 1997 Freightliner 112 Tanker, built with a 3000 gallon water tank was purchased, not only for the fire protection area expansion into the rural areas, but also to meet the agreement between the City of Terrace, and Regional District to provide fire protection to North Terrace. 

The last apparatus purchased in this time was a 1998 Freightliner FL80 pumper truck, again built to almost identical specs as the previous pumper.

In February 2004, Chief Art Hill stepped down as Fire Chief, and Deputy Chief Wes Patterson was appointed Fire Chief by the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine.

In June 2004, one of the last pieces of the puzzle in the fire protection area that was started in 1997 fell into place, the completion of the Gitaus Fire Hall (Hall #3), protecting Skeena east.  This hall was built through an agreement with the Kitselas Band, Regional District and the federal government.