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The Fallen Firefighters Monument Committee along with the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters and Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency invite citizens to join them Wednesday morning in recognizing the largest one-day loss of firefighter lives in Canadian history.
Nine Halifax firefighters died as a result of the Dec. 6, 1917 Halifax Explosion. On that cool clear morning the munitions ship S.S. Mont Blanc, already on fire from a collision in Halifax Harbour, glanced off Pier 6 in northend Halifax, sparking a fire in the dockyard.
For all but one of those West Street firefighters who responded, it would be their last alarm.
Halifax firefighters have honoured their fallen brethren at a monument marking the Halifax Explosion and the loss of firefighter lives every year since 1992. The ceremony has since been expanded to also recognize other firefighter line-of-duty deaths, as well as the passing of retired firefighters who have died in the previous year.
- Where: Station #4 (Duffus, A.K.A. Lady Hammond) – 5830 Duffus St.
- When: Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 10:15 a.m.
This year, Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph E. Finn will be bringing a strong contingent of firefighters from his city to help commemorate the occasion. Boston firefighters played a significant role in assisting with the clean-up after the explosion.
Also in attendance will be relatives of all nine firefighters killed as a result of the Halifax Explosion. A representative from each family will lay a wreath at the monument.