History

in 1951 a new fire station was built on McKenna St. under the direction of Fire Chief W.A. Hicks. This project was in collaboration with Public Works with half of the building being for Fire Department use and the other for Public Works. During the 1980s Bridgetown's Public Works moved to their current location on Church St. allowing the fire department to expand. This building served the fire department well over the years, allowing us to expand the number of trucks we managed and allowing more space for functions and activities. However, in later years the building began to deteriorate. Coupled with the ever changing fire service, apparatus size and training requirements the building was not able to meet the needs of the department. In 2001, The department and the Town Council of Bridgetown formed a Fire Hall Committee to begin the process of building a replacement hall.

Information above compiled by Jerry Lutley

In the 1990s it was well recognized that the Bridgetown Volunteer Fire Department's station on McKenna St. was nearing the end of its life. With the ever changing fire service, training requirements and size of apparatus, the building was not meeting the needs of the department. The building was beginning to deteriorate as it was nearing 50 years old. Structural, plumbing and electrical systems would have to be upgraded to meet building code and make it safe. Even with the upgrades, space would still be an an issue. With such limited financial resources the department and The Town Council of Bridgetown formed a Fire Hall Committee in 2001 to begin the process of planning a new building.

The Fire Hall Committee met regularly for almost two years completing research, doing engineering consultations and visiting other new fire halls in the province. In May of 2003 the Fire Hall Committee sought further help from the community at large and formed a Fire Hall Fundraising Committee (FHFR). One of the primary goals of the FHFR Committee was to raise the necessary funds to provide the Bridgetown Volunteer Fire Department with a debt free fire hall.

The fundraising efforts began in mid 2003 and continued throughout 2009. Although there were disappointments and road blocks along the way, the level of participation of the entire community was significant. Contributions were received from individuals, from local service clubs and community groups, from local and broader- based business entities, from fundraising efforts of small groups in the community and from donations in memory of loved ones. Added to the significant contributions of the community were the contributions of the fire department itself, the Town of Bridgetown, the Municipality of Annapolis County, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada.