The fire hall in the Heritage Village at the North Battleford Western Development Museum is typical of small town fire halls that appeared in many Saskatchewan communities in the pioneer years. This building was constructed at the museum in 1967 by the North Battleford Firemen's Association.
Fire was a major problem in Saskatchewan's pioneer period. Prairie fires threatened farms and crops; fires in towns and villages threatened homes and businesses. Strong prairie winds could turn even small fires into major blazes.
Pioneer homes heated and cooked with wood. Wood-burning fireplaces and stoves caused many fires. There were no smoke alarms or sprinkler systems as we have today. If a fire was spotted it had to be tackled quickly or it would spread from wooden building to wooden building. People came together in the countryside and in the towns to organize volunteer fire departments to battle fires.
Equipment was purchased by the community. It might be a chemical cart which used bicarbonate of soda and sulphuric acid to create a dioxide gas that cut off oxygen to the fire. Or it might be a horse-drawn pumper with a small gas engine to pump water from the nearest source, a well or a slough. Likely there would be a hose cart to carry the water hoses needed to pump the water onto the fire.
In the early years all the equipment was horse-drawn and a good team of horses was needed to pull the equipment to the fire. A local businessman or farmer would supply the team.
In the museum's Fire Hall there is equipment on display from a number of small Saskatchewan communities. There is a chemical cart from the town of Zealandia, purchased in 1910 and taken out of service in 1963. The last fire it fought was in 1931. There is a pumper from the town of Eston, purchased second-hand in 1929 and last used in 1945. The village of Denholm donated a fire engine; the town of Asquith donated a hose cart. There is also a pumper from the town of Asquith, purchased new in 1907 or 1908 and in service for 25 years.
The building has a concrete floor in good shape that the fire equipment sits on. The rolled roof was recently replaced, as was the small door that visitors use to enter the building.
The large doors on the front of the building that are open when the fire equipment moves in or out need to be replaced as they no longer seal properly. The building needs to be repainted but first the siding needs to be replaced or at least sealed as the wind now finds its way into the building through the openings in the walls. The walls are the biggest concern with this building at the moment.
Volunteer fire halls were important services in small Saskatchewan communities. Without them, fires could have disastrous consequences. The fire hall is the story of people coming together to provide themselves and their neighbours with a service they might need someday.
A story from a small Saskatchewan community illustrates this. In the town of Landis there was a hardware store about a block from the railway station. A fire burned it down. It was replaced with a new building: a fire hall.
The museum presents the story of fire prevention and the community coming together in its Fire Hall. That's why we built the building many years ago and that's why we maintain it today. It's another important story from our past and we don't want to lose it.
