Lethbridge FirefightersDonate Fire service since 1886
A century of service.
More than a century of changing equipment, expanding skill, and one enduring promise: be ready when Lethbridge calls.
Our timeline
The tools changed. The commitment did not.
Fire service roots in Lethbridge reach back to 1886. A professional department followed in 1909, integrated fire and ambulance service began in 1912, and the firefighters received their IAFF charter in 1920.
Follow the years
Choose a milestone to explore the fire service, integrated ambulance care, and the history of Your Lethbridge Firefighters.
Department collection, date unconfirmed. 01 / 181886Fire service roots
Local business owners formed an unofficial bucket brigade in 1886. Later that year, the North-West Mounted Police provided the first organized fire protection. A bell salvaged from the steamer Alberta soon became the community alarm.
Photographed in 1907. Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19891049204, via Flickr Commons 02 / 181909A professional department
Volunteer brigades protected Lethbridge until a professional fire department was organized in 1909. By 1910, 12 firefighters served the growing city.
Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19841083028. January 12, 1911. Via Flickr Commons; no known copyright restrictions. 03 / 181911The Balmoral Hotel fire
On January 12, firefighters battled a blaze at the Balmoral Hotel on 5th Street South. The fire destroyed the hotel as crews worked between 3rd and 4th Avenues.
Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19991012030, via Flickr Commons 04 / 181912Fire and ambulance unite
In June 1912, firefighters took over Galt Hospital’s ambulance, beginning Lethbridge’s integrated fire and ambulance service. By 1913, every department member held St. John Ambulance first-aid certification.
Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19831018000. August 18, 1914. Via Flickr Commons; no known copyright restrictions. 05 / 181914A wartime send-off
On August 18, Lethbridge’s first wartime volunteers left for training at Valcartier, Quebec. Fire Chief William Hardy and other fire department members appear in a photograph of the group.
Department collection, date unconfirmed. 06 / 181920Local 237 is chartered
On February 3, 1920, the City Firefighters Union Local 237 received its IAFF charter. The department also won first prize in Canada for first aid that year.
Galt Museum & Archives, accession P19861113001, via Flickr Commons 07 / 181922Old Bill’s last alarm
Old Bill, the station bulldog, could tell fire calls from ambulance calls and often followed crews to emergencies. He died on duty in 1922 after being struck by an apparatus.
Galt Museum & Archives, accession 20001043000-110. Building photograph; photo date unconfirmed. 08 / 181940sService at the fair
A small Exhibition Grounds substation supported the fair and surrounding area with a pumper, an ambulance, and round-the-clock coverage during major events.
Galt Museum & Archives, accession 19981071207. January 15, 1953. Via Flickr Commons; no known copyright restrictions. 09 / 181953First Baptist Church fire
On January 15, firefighters fought a fire at First Baptist Church, 402 8 Street South. An archival photograph shows flames rising from the church.
The Hull Block fire, 16 May 1963. Lethbridge Fire Department, as credited on the supplied scan. 10 / 181963The Hull Block fire
A major fire destroyed the Hull Block in downtown Lethbridge. The supplied department photograph dated May 16, 1963 shows crews directing firefighting streams at the burning building.
Station opened in 1975; photographed in 1991. Galt Museum & Archives, accession 20031023001-011. 11 / 181975A new Fire Hall No. 1
Fire Hall No. 1 moved into a purpose-built station at 421 6 Avenue South. The new hall continued the service of the earlier downtown stations as the department’s facilities grew with the city.
Supporting department portrait from 1978, not the 1986 celebration. Galt Museum & Archives, accession 20081021023. 12 / 181986A century of fire service
The Lethbridge Fire Department celebrated its 100th anniversary. The centennial marked a century of change, from the city’s early fire protection to a professional department serving an expanding community.
David Rossiter / Lethbridge Herald, June 8, 1995. Exhibit panel published by Galt Museum & Archives. 13 / 181995The flood of the century
The Oldman River flood brought high water through Lethbridge’s river valley in June. The June 8 newspaper coverage and photograph record the scale of a disaster that tested the community’s emergency response.
David Rossiter / Lethbridge Herald, coverage dated November 6, 2004. Exhibit panel published by Galt Museum & Archives. 14 / 182004Fire in the west-side industrial area
Firefighters responded to a wind-driven industrial fire in west Lethbridge. Newspaper coverage published on November 6 captured firefighter Les Hilliard separating burning tractor tires as crews worked at the scene.
County of Lethbridge, November 28, 2011. Figure 2 in Alexander, Heathcott & Schwanke’s 2013 fire behaviour case study. 15 / 182011A grassfire crosses the river
On November 27, a wind-driven grassfire crossed the Oldman River and threatened the Lethbridge area. City firefighters joined Blood Tribe and surrounding rural departments in a coordinated response to protect homes and contain the fire.
Department collection, date unconfirmed. 16 / 182021Ambulance dispatch moves to AHS
On January 12, ambulance dispatch for Lethbridge moved into Alberta Health Services’ provincial EMS dispatch system, following the consolidation announced in August 2020. Municipal fire, police and Medical First Response dispatch remained local.
2023 Lethbridge Hotel fire. Photograph supplied in the Department Photos collection. 17 / 182023The Lethbridge Hotel fire
On February 24, 28 members from four stations responded to the vacant Lethbridge Hotel. Crews arrived in the early morning to find flames coming from the upper levels of the downtown building.
Department collection, date unconfirmed. 18 / 18October 2026Four-person fire crews
A staffing agreement secured in December 2025 established a four-firefighter minimum for Lethbridge fire companies, with October 1, 2026 as the scheduled start. The agreement was intended to strengthen the first-arriving crew’s ability to carry out interior firefighting and rescue.