Tale of the King St Station

The last fire trucks rolled out o f the King Street Fire Station in May 1971 on their way to the newly completed building at the corner of York and Dundonald Street. Now 26 years later a young person or new-comer to the city might ask "Where was the fire station on King Street?"

A long-time resident of the city could reply to that question. Stand at the center entrance to Kings Place and look directly across the street to the building at 441 King with the large arched windows on the ground floor and the One Hour Martinizing Dry Gleaning Establishment. There was the Central Fire Station.

Completed in 1914 and officially opened in September of that year, this station replaced an older two story wooden fire station on the same site that at one time housed Fredericton's two steam pumpers the Amoskeag (Alexandra) and the Silsby and later the first regular fire horses used to pull the two light wagons. The first drivers were Bill Wilson and Steve Doucette.

"While many renovations took place over the years in the inside and in the surrounding area of the station, the general appearance of the structure's outside remains quite the same (as of 1997). It is now totally enclosed on the west side by Canada Life, formerly Zellers. The narrow alley on the south side provided access to a large open space in back of the station. This area, long gone since the 1950's, would be the scene of softball games in summer, skating rink in winter and for several years the Call Fireman's Association would stage a carnival to raise money for the funds. Around 1941 Glen Libby's Carnival even set up their Ferris 'wheel, Merry- go Round and other attractions there for a week or so.

To move inside
The main apparatus floor had stalls for the horses near the back area, while the main floor area was for the vehicles, first the ladder wagon or sled, hose cart, then first motorized unit a 1916 La France hose and chemical truck. In 1929 a La France Pumper was added, hose cart replaced and with the retirement of the horses in 1938 and the addition of a motorized ladder truck the stalls were removed to make way for future equipment additions... (See diagram below).

Two apartments on the front section provided accommodations for two drivers and their families. There was a recreation room on the second floor for the Call Firemen with provision for the alarm system and a room for a third driver.

Originally a hay storage area was at the back of the second floor, but in the early 30's was removed and the space used by the Association until required for extra permanent men. Drivers who lived in the station and handled the early equipment: Leo Ward, Melvin Bearisto, Peter Finnegan, Fred Desaulnier, Harry McNeill, Lloyd Shaw and Hugh O'Neill occupied the room of the recreation area when on night duty. Harry McNeill and wife Myra were the last family to live in the fire station.

Pete Finnegan raised a family of five during his long tenure in the station and Fred Desaulnier had an equal sized family during his short tenure as a driver. Mel Bearisto, Pete Finnegan, and Hood O'Neill became Deputy Fire Chiefs in the later years of their careers.

"Old Bill" the last grey fire horse was a great favorite of Driver O'Neill and all members of the department. At the time of his retirement his hoof prints were placed in concrete just outside the upper door of the station in the area between the side walk and the road. They remained there for several years, but re-construction of the street erased them forever.

Fredericton's fire horses were the subject of an article in the Toronto Star about 1933. Story was written by Fredericton writer C. W (Timmy) Green.

During the depression years of the 1930's when tradesmen like painters, carpenters had little work the fire station was a place of refuge where they could drop in for a game of cards, swap stories and listen to the radio, especially at World Series Time. The ten of so brass spittoons could be very useful for the tobacco chewers and the air would be thick with tobacco smoke, mostly pipes.

There was one tall distinguished gentleman of the city, believe his name was Charles McGraw who would visit the station on a Saturday afternoon six by the radio and despite other noise around him would listen to the Metropolitan Opera Broadcast from CFNB.

Fredericton Barber Bill Kenny started visiting the fire station way back in the 1920's and while never a fireman continued right up until the time of his death. Bill, a good storyteller entertained several generations of fire fighters and enjoyed a good game of cribbage, even mastered canasta in later years.

No account of the King Street Station would be complete without mention of the air horn that used to blat out the number of the alarm from what ever corner box the alarm was turned in from. It had a strange effect on a person hard to explain and many a citizen must have jumped in the air if they were unfortunate enough to be in front of the station or within a block if that blast sounded. Two gongs in the station were also attached to the system and would also strike the box number along with the horn, no one in the building could sleep through all that racket.

The two brass Poles, typical of all older fire stations, provided quick decent from the second floor and third floor down to the apparatus floor, one was from the back recreation room (at present a souvenir at the present York St. Station and the other came direct from the third floor.

A concrete floor had replaced the old plank floor in the late 1930's but some question arose as to it being able to handle the heavy load of the modern trucks. Increase in King Street traffic and even with installation of overhead doors the new trucks were just too wide for the narrow doors of 1914, so it all combined to make the King Street Station obsolete.