The Dirty 30's
The Great Depression Hits York Township.
The Great Depression came to the working-class neighbourhoods of York Township in 1929. Throughout the early 1930's, employment levels dropped. Homes were repossessed as people lost their jobs, and some part-time fire fighters were expelled from their association for non-payment of dues. At one point, there was a neighbourhood of tents and makeshift shacks on the west side of Keele Street between Rogers and Eglinton.
The newly-formed permanent fire department was largely unaffected, except that there was no growth in full time staff to meet the growing needs of the community. The vehicles were relatively new, and the need for fire fighters was as strong as ever. Fire fighters were involved in their community. Full time fire fighters even gave up part of their wages to aid the unemployed
Fairbank Fire Hall
Click here to view the 1938 apparatus inventory.