PR- Fire Department

Fire Department

First Fire Hall was built on corner of Fulton St and Fraser, across from the First Permanent City Hall

First Prince Rupert Fire Hall, PFRD, ca 1946/48
Postcard courtesy Grant Walker, CA

This is an interesting photo as it shows the relation between the Fire Hall, and the Savoy Hotel at 614 Fraser St.
Opposite the front doors of the Fire Hall, across Fulton St., was the First Permanent City Hall.

Visible in Photo:

• Right hand side top 3 floors showing of the Rupert Hotel
• Stork Block
• Central Hotel
• Knoxville / Oceanview Hotel

Water Reservoir was on Acropolis Hill in 1910
It held 1,000,000 gallons in one source, 500,000 in another.
There was a 6 in pipe from there for the main supply line, with 2 and 3 in lines for distribution

The water came from a branch of Hay's Creek.
They also had access to water from Woodworth Lake.

Started as a Volunteer Brigade in Nov 1908 (per EXT link below.)

They were equipped with:

• 1 Chemical Engine
• 1 Hose Carriage
• 1 Pompier (Hook) ladder,
• 1 combination ladder, and 3 other ladders.
• 4 Hand Chemicals, with 2,000 feet of hose.

They installed fire alarm Boxes on the telephone poles, which were numbered consecutively

As soon as the handset was removed it would send an alarm to the fire hall. The Fire Hall would then know exactly the location of the fire.

They had 10 Professional members, per EXT link below
Names I have found below

First Paid Fire Chief
Neil McInnis
Chief of Fire Dept., lived at Fire Hall per directory
Per 1911 census he lived on 2nd Ave. with his family
b- Sept 1862 in Cape Breton, NS
wife- May McInnis,
b- June 1878 in PEI
daughter- Violet McInnis, b- Aug 1904 in ?
Alice McInnis, b- Oct 1906 in PEI
Goldie McInnis, b- Aug 1908 in ?
son-Harold McInnis, b- Feb 1911, in BC

William Murrell- Call Man, lived at the Fire Hall

James MacDonald- Call Man- Lived at the Fire Hall

H. D. McKellar- Call Man- Lived at the Fire Hall
He was First Fire Chief of the Volunteer Dept.
H. C. Keller was his name in another source.

Donald McQueen- Call Man- Lived at the Fire Hall
b- Dec 1885 in Scotland
d- Jan 29, 1929 in Prince Rupert
buried in Fairview Cemetery, Prince Rupert
Immigrated in 1907

Alec Mill- Call Man- Lived at the Fire Hall
b- Oct 1885 in Scotland
Immigrated in 1907

Henry Morton- Call Man- Lived at the Fire Hall

Mark Creelman- Fireman- Lived at the Fire Hall
b- Oct 15, 1876, Truro, NS
Enlisted in WWI in Prince Rupert, Dec 26, 1914
Reg #114061, Occupation- Painter, Single.
next of kin- father- William Creelman who worked in Law's Drug Store, Vancouver BC

Leonard Porter- Fireman- Lived at the Fire Hall
b- Jan 1880 England
Immigrated in 1907

William Morrell- Fireman- Lived on Borden St.
(not sure why he didn't live at the fire hall like the others?)

Jim Parke- Fireman- shown in 1911 Census- not in directory
b- 1882 Ireland

John Unwin - shown in 1911 Census, not in directory
b- Jan 1879 in England
Immigrated in 1884

James Gibson- shown in 1911 Census, not in directory
b- July 1886 in England
immigrated in 1902
shown as a chauffeur - Fire Engine

Fire Chief- A. McDonald (Don below?)

Fire Chief- Don H. McDonald
b- 1868, NS

wife- Christina McDonald
b- age 38 in 1921, in USA

son- Argus McDonald
b- ca 1913, in USA
Immigrated in 1913

2016 New Fire hall located at 200 1st Ave. W

EXT Link, NOT my sites

Fire Hall info today
http://www.princerupert.ca/cityservices/publicsafety/firedepartment

Check out the Fire Hall Museum in Rupert
it is worth a visit.
http://www.princerupertlibrary.ca/fire/

First Prince Rupert Fire Truck
BC Archives Picture http://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/prince-ruperts-first-fire-automobile

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