History

The roots of the Sooke Volunteer Fire Department go back to before World War 1 when it was known as the " Sooke Harbour Fire Department ". The "rolling stock" was a litterally a two-wheeled hose reel that was pulled by four volunteers with another two at the rear to provide the brakes..

At the on-set of World War II, fire fighting in Sooke fell under the responsibility of the Civil Protection Committee. Air Raid Protection purchased an old touring car that was transformed into a fire truck by Cains Brothers.

The Sooke Volunteer Fire Department was officially formed in 1941. The first hall was built on the site of the present Chevron gas station at the intersection of Church and Sooke Road.. It was constructed with volunteer labour and $500 in donations. The old Hudson touring car became the first fire truck. During the 40s an air raid siren was used to summons the volunteers. The siren was activated by one of the few telephones in the community or by the telephone office, situated where Milnes Landing Store now sits.

The fifteen volunteers often had to push start the old Hudson touring car to get it going. It didn't carry a water supply and pulled its pump on a trailer. The old hall was basically a garage with only enough room for the Hudson. Meetings and training were conducted in rental spaces with the volunteers having to cover the rental costs. They often paid for the gasoline for the old Hudson as well.

Sooke was a small, closely knit community of 3,000 in those days. Luckily everyone was either related or knew each other since house numbers had not yet been issued. The issuance of house numbers is still a responsibility of the fire department today.

In 1958 the department moved to a new fire hall up the street and across Sooke Road from the old one. The siren was still used to call the volunteers. Five telephones, each with the same number, were installed in different residences; the theory being that someone would be available to answer the phone and set off the alarm.

During the 60s and 70s as the town of Sooke continued to grow, the Sooke Volunteer Fire Department expanded to better serve the needs of the community. The volunteer roster rose to twenty-five as members assumed responsibility for Ambulance Service as well as the Fire Department Rescue Society. Ambulance Services has since been taken over by the province, but we still train as First Responders to assistance ambulance in providing pre-hospital emergency care.

During the late 70s it became apparent that the existing Sooke Fire hall was inadequate in keeping up with the needs of our growing community. On April 13, 1996 the District of Sooke and the forty-five volunteers of the Sooke Volunteer Fire Department proudly invited the citizens of Sooke to an open house to showcase the new fire hall on Otter Point Road.

Currently, the department maintains a fully equipped fleet of modern apparatus and the volunteers continue to train in many different roles; including First Responder, Vehicle Extraction ("Jaws of Life"), Rope Rescue, Hazardous Materials and the numerous other skills needed to attend the wide range of calls we receive.

Should you happen to run into Bill Stephenson, our longest serving member, ask him to try to push start one of our current trucks like he used to push that old touring car 60 years ago when he joined the Sooke Volunteer Fire Department!