Many people light up when they see the firetrucks leave the station with their lights on and the blaring horn while on the way to an accident sight.
But what is on the inside of a firetruck’s home?
At the end of the day what makes up a firehouse are the people inside of it, and it is no exception for Fire Station 3 in Oakville at the intersection of Kerr and Rebecca. The group in this Fire Station are a hardworking and fierce group of smoke eaters who love to share a coffee and a laugh with each other. The group also loved to share lunch at the common room table while watching highlights from last night’s hockey game.
Fire Stations also honour the history of the town’s firefighters from years past and also display different tools and turnout gear that was used in previous years. Other historical pieces include old fire extinguishers and old pictures from accident sites that took place in past years.
But what makes a Fire Station recognizable are the trucks that are used by the people inside. This specific firehouse had three different vehicles used for different purposes.
Though this firetruck may not look as familiar to most, this truck belongs to the most important person in the building. This truck is actually called a Cheif 5 and it is used by the Platoon chief of the Fire Station. This car is used by the chief when they are called to an accident sight and need to transport themselves to the call.
This truck looks a lot more familiar. This truck is called a pump, and this truck’s main objective is to “get the cold stuff on the hot stuff.” This truck’s main goal is to put out fire’s with big hose lines. The truck carries giant hoses that connect to the truck’s water system and that is how the firefighters get enough water to put out a fire. The water tank can fit a range of 1200-2500 litres of water. The truck can also plug into any fire hydrant in the city.
This truck is called a ladder truck, the reason that it is different than all other trucks is that it has a long ladder at the top of the truck, the firefighters on this truck are trained to go into the building and rescue victims before the water goes on the fire. The truck also carries tools like a halligan, this tool allows firefighters enough force to open up a door where they may find a victim trapped inside. People on this truck also are trained to climb the ladder which can reach 101 feet in order to rescue victims in high buildings.
But what is this truck for? Great question. This huge truck is actually an operating center for certain calls. Trucks like these are brought onto scenes that require multiple units and multiple different EMS services.
The people at Fire Station 3 were nice enough to take us on a tour of the inside:
As I said previously, the most important part of a firehouse is the people in them, and every person in this house has a story of how they got to this point. Two firefighters explained their story on how they applied to the Fire Academy and why they wanted to pursue this job.
Fire Stations are also a staple of the community and the firefighters in the houses love to give back to those who need it. The entire Oakville Fire Department recently helped support the Oakville Blades Hockey Club in their Teddy Bear Toss Game. In this event, Firefighters sold teddy bears at the ice rink and fans threw them onto the ice after the Blades first goal. All proceeds from the event went to a charity toy drive to bring joy to kids in Oakville this holiday season.
Fire Stations are not only important because of the people inside of them but it is also important for the community. These buildings house the heroes of our cities and towns and it’s because of them and their ability to put their life on the line every single day that we can live our peaceful lives.