Skip to content

Fire engine

Summerland’s 1961 International pumper truck had a capacity of 1,000 gallons and an output of 625 gallons per minute.
29112summerlandHistoricfiretruck
Summerland’s 1961 International pumper truck had a capacity of 1

Summerland’s 1961 International pumper truck had a capacity of 1,000 gallons and an output of 625 gallons per minute.

In 1908 the equipment used by the Summerland Fire Brigade consisted of a man-drawn hose reel which didn’t really do much except to help keep the fire from spreading.

As the town grew, so did the brigade and in 1944 with an ARP pumper, firemen’s protective clothing and two car-driven trailers to haul the hose, the West Summerland Volunteer Fire Protection Society was formed.

In 1949 the town took over the Society, extended the fire protection area to include the entire municipality and Summerland’s first fire truck was purchased. The addition of the shiny new truck in this photo in 1962 resulted in a brand new fire hall to house all of the equipment.

Today the equipment includes three engines, one rescue, one water tender, one CAFS squad unit, one bush truck, two command vehicles, and one administration vehicle.

Hopefully we’ve all learned something during Fire Prevention Week and the equipment won’t see a lot of use.