History
Puslinch Fire & Rescue
In 1968 the Reeve and council for the Township of Puslinch started the process of forming a fire department. A fire chief was chosen and ads put in the papers for volunteers to come and sign up. The first fire chief was Bob Hilborn who operated a service garage on the corner of Brock Rd N and Wellington Rd 34 (Aberfoyle Rd).
Training for all the eager volunteers started in September 1968 and after four months of training, were ready to take over fire protection for Puslinch on January 1 1969.
The first unit purchased as a fire truck was a used gasoline delivery truck, converted so that water would flow from all compartments to a manifold at the rear of the truck. Portable pumps were used to move water to and from the tank.
Our first real fire truck in Puslinch was pumper 30 which was purchased from Hamilton. It was used there as a training unit. This was a 1951 Hickey pumper mounted of a Ford chassis, with a 625 gal per min pump. This unit could still be used today to pump water but is used mostly for Christmas parades, conventions and other social events.
Soon it was determined that another unit was necessary to carry all the extra equipment that a fire department needs. This unit was a used 1959 IH cube van with a slant 4 engine. This unit was completely stripped down by the firefighters, repaired, shelves installed and painted a bright red, ready to serve the township.
In 1972 the first new pumper truck was purchased. This was a cab over Ford with a 534 engine, 625 gpm pump and 600 gal water tank. We were now ready to attack any fire. This unit was sold at an auction in September 2005.
In 1974 another new Ford cab over with 534 gas engine was purchased to replace the original converted gas truck. A 1500 gal tank was installed on this unit to carry water to a fire emergency. It now has a 1200 gal water tank and is still in use today at a local gravel pit to control dust on their roadways.
An old building on Brock Rd S served as the first fire hall, giving us room for two trucks. An addition with basement was erected at the rear of the old section. This gave us room for two more units, a radio room, and downstairs was a class room, shower, washroom, and another room the chief used as an office.
In 1981 a new municipal complex was built on Wellington Rd 34 just west of Brock Rd S. The fire department, roads department and municipal offices are all housed in the same complex.
The second fire chief to take over was A G Slade from Morriston.
In 1986 a new IH diesel, 840 gpm pumper was purchased. This unit is pumper 32 and is now our second response pumper and will respond when needed. It has serviced the township very well and is looking forward to an easier life in the back row at the fire hall.
In 1992 a new telesquirt 50 was added to the fleet. The chassis is a IH diesel, 1050 gpm pump and body manufactured by Superior.
In 1995 Douglas C Smith took over as chief after the death of A G Slade. Robert Gordon was chosen as the new Deputy Chief.
A new rescue unit was put into service on May 23 2000. It is a 5 person cab Freightliner FL 80 with the rescue equipment, extrication equipment and absorbent for spills.
In 2002 an addition was added to the fire hall to give us more office space for the fire chief, training officers, fire prevention and storage.
In 2003 a defibrillator program was started with the purchase of two units. A third unit was provided by a resident of Puslinch and as of April 2004 we have had another one donated by a resident. More than thirty members have received training in defibrillator usage and are certified to use them when necessary.
On November 3 2004 our new American Lafrance (HUB) pumper arrived. It will pump 1050 gal per min and carries 1000 gallons of water. It also features a five person cab with SCBA in four of the seats, a Foam Pro proportioner and a hydraulic ladder/suction hose mounting system.
On December 31 2005, Chief D C Smith retired and on January 1 2006, Dan R Quinnell took over as Fire Chief.
On March 17 2007 a new tanker was delivered to Puslinch. It was manufactured by American Lafrance and will carry 3000 US gal. of water. It has dump ports on three sides and has a pto pump.
On December 17 2008, Robert Gordon became Fire Chief.