Fire fighter Bert Hoare shows off the new switchboard at the
Mt. Dennis (Lambton) Fire Hall (St. #2) in 1956.
The board remained in service until 1982.
After the Second World War,
the Toronto region experienced rapid population growth which coincided
with post-war prosperity and high levels of in-migration from
throughout Canada and around the world. No one area felt this as strongly as York Township, with it's cheaper housing and base of landed immigrants and new Canadians who settled here right after the war. Although the economy was volatile, the spirit and optimism in the township was high with its steady growth.
The York Township Fire Department also grew to meet the challenge. Between 1950 and 1959, fifty-four new fire fighters were hired, with large groups of recruits being added in 1952 (6), 1956 (11), and 1959 (26).
Fire fighter Bert Hoare shows off the new switchboard at the
Mt. Dennis (Lambton) Fire Hall (St. #2) in 1956.
The board remained in service until 1982.
In 1955, the first new fire hall built since the department became professional was erected at 6 Lambton Avenue in Mount Dennis to replace the Hollis Avenue hall built in 1921. An unidentified article reprinted in the York Firefighters Newsletter described the new headquarters:
The new Lambton Avenue Fire Hall is the nerve centre of the York Township fire department. As headquarters and radio dispatch station it controls the operations of radio-equipped fire trucks throughout the Township.Erected last year at a cost of $125,000, the hall also provides a training school to which the department's 91 men -- a staff increase of 33% in the past 8 years -- go for an annual week-long refresher course. Also located here are a company of 40 officers and men and nearly $100,000 of new fire fighting equipment -- 2 pumpers, a ladder truck and the department car.
The departments' emergency car, a specially equipped ambulance, is also stationed at the Lambton Avenue Hall. From here, its crew answers forty-odd emergency calls each month, aiding accident and fire victims.
The Association showed a greater level of sophistication in bargaining and labour-management issues during the 1950's. The heightened expectations of employees after the war resulted in a workforce more willing to seek improved working conditions, greater health and safety, and a higher salary. In 1952 The Fire Departments Act was passed allowing fire fighters' unions greater power in negotiations. Local 411 representatives attended several seminars and conventions to keep up with the changing times.
The Association still was important for providing social and recreational programmes for the fire fighters and their families. The Annual Ball, "Christmas Trees," parades and sports teams received sponsorship from union funds. The Welfare Corporation continued to provide an important safety net, and was funded partially through the Annual Ball.
The "old guard" that ran things since the consolidation of the fire department in the 1930's was starting to give way to the younger men hired after the war. Like the Township itself, the York Township Fire Department was showing signs of moderate growth and modernization.