Fire fighters taking down a brick wall inside a decommissioned firehall in Fernie, B.C., in late March already knew they were handling important pieces of their fire department’s history. The bricks, used for a feature wall inside the 1980s era building, were from the city’s original firehall built in 1904.
But the demolition revealed a touching surprise: on the bare wall behind they found about two dozen signatures from fire fighters, left there in 1981 to be discovered by their future counterparts, along with two fire department photos from the era.
The discovery sparked a heartwarming journey down memory lane, said Fernie, BC Local 2827 President Bruce Nelson.
“I think it’s really important to remember our history, to pay tribute and to keep it alive. People tend to forget pretty quickly but there has been a fairly strong heritage here,” Nelson said, noting that Fernie has seen an influx of new residents in the past five to 10 years, and the fire department has had a wave of retirements and new members in the past few years.
When the Local shared the story of the wall and photos on its Facebook page, members of the community made immediate connections to the names and reminisced about the fire fighters who were riding the trucks and protecting the city 44 years ago.
“Wow, that’s a step back in time. Some great men on that wall, so many memories! Glad you were able to save it,” one follower commented. “A well-deserved tribute to the men and women who dedicated their time to ensure the City of Fernie was well protected,” wrote another.
The photos recovered behind the brick wall are a black and white shot of the decommissioned fire hall on its opening day in May 1980, and a colour picture of fire fighters from the era in front of a 1974 pumper. Two Fernie fire fighters from the era are still alive, Nelson says.
The notion to continue preserving their history is not lost on the Fernie fire fighters of today. They plan to store the bricks carefully and use them for a feature wall inside the new firehall, which is currently in planning stages.
Will today’s fire fighters take a page from their 1981 counterparts and sign their names before the bricks are laid in the new firehall?
“We’ll do something similar, some kind of time capsule or if we can, write behind the brick wall like they did, for future generations to find,” Nelson says.
Backed up by auxiliary fire fighters, the eight members of Fernie Local 2827 protect 6,500 residents in the picturesque resort town in the southeast corner of the province. They have been working in a temporary firehall since 2022.
We’ll do something similar, some kind of time capsule or if we can, write behind the brick wall like they did, for future generations to find,
fernie local 2827 president bruce nelson
A 1928 Studebaker fire truck and a fire pole from the 1904 fire station have also been preserved and may be used to showcase the Fernie Fire Department’s history once the new fire station is built.
