Fire Station
2097 Chemin de Way's Mills
A bit of history, Barnston-Ouest fire station
Founded in 1946, the Municipality of Barnston-Ouest set up its fire department in 1950. The Municipality collected the money needed for construction of the station and the purchase of the equipment by organizing dance parties and thanks to a grant from the Provincial Fire Commissioner
The town entrusted the management of the site to Émery Duquette who finalized the erection of the fire station in 1952.
Chief J.M. Routhier headed the team of firefighters composed of about twenty men from the Municipality. These volunteer firefighters would answer the call of the siren located at the top of the tower. The tower served to dry fire hoses made of cotton at the time.
Equipped with a former army truck at the time, the fire department attached a wooden box to the rear containing the necessary tools to fight fires including a pump; this is how the Barnston-Ouest firefighters responded to calls. The service was so successful that in 1953, the Municipality adopted a by-law to govern calls made outside the Municipality.
Over the years, the equipment became obsolete and no longer met the standards adopted by the Government and insurance companies. The costs of upgrading the equipment and training of the volunteer firefighters exceeded the financial capacity of the small Municipality. Afterwards, the Barnston-Ouest Municipal Council entered into agreements with the surrounding Municipalities to protect the citizens of Barnston-Ouest.Thirty years after its construction, the Municipal Council decided in 1982 to cut the power supply to the station. With its Tower and its mechanism of lifting the casings, the building is now a place of remembrance!
Today, the Memphremagog East Inter-Municipal Fire Prevention and Protection Board serves the citizens of Barnston-Ouest. The Board is responsible for the Municipalities of Stanstead, Township of Stanstead, Ogden, Ayer’s Cliff, Hatley, Township of Hatley, Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, North Hatley, Stanstead East and Barnston-Ouest.
Building information
- Wooden structure, covered with galvanized sheet metal
- Building with a length of 6.89 meters and a width of 4.4 meters
- Height of the building 5.57 meters
- Height of the Tower 18.7 meters