'It’s the first real fire engine we had': Westville fire station welcomes back a piece of its history

The community of Westville, N.S., has rallied to restore an important part of its history, and news of its return is spreading like wildfire.

A 1948 GMC pumper, which cost $9,000 at the time, was the first fire truck purchased for Westville Fire and Rescue.

“The department was 74 years old at that point and up until then we didn’t have any sort of decent equipment,” explained George Dooley, the station’s historian and retired firefighter.

The truck was often in demand to fight fires across Pictou County during its 25 years of service, due to its 50-foot ladder and water capacity.

Deputy Fire Chief Tom Steele remembers the truck’s final call in 1976.

“The fire alarm went off for a fire at the Royal Canadian Legion,” Steele said. “I had just started at the station so it was my first ‘real fire.’ The word came out to get, what we called, the old #1 since it had a large ladder and we also needed to pump water from another street.”

After that, the truck was sold and the station lost track of it.

In 2019, a former Westville resident spotted a Kijiji ad for the unique truck, which was being sold in Ontario.

“They wanted $5,000 for it,” Steele said. “Unfortunately we didn’t have the money for that.”

However, the owners of the Acropole Pub and Grill in Westville stepped in to help and bought the truck back so it could be restored to its rightful place.

“There’s a great sense of pride that we have this back,” said Bill Chace, the department’s secretary and training officer. “It’s the first real fire engine we had.”

Besides some water damage, rust and dust, the truck is in fairly good condition.

“The brakes will have to be re-done and the engine needs some work,” Steele explained.

Steele hopes to have the truck pumping water by next year, with the full restoration complete for the department’s 150th anniversary in 2024.

The firetruck will be the centerpiece of the celebrations.

“The people of Westville take pride in this department and it’s a community effort to get this restored,” he added.