Fonds F021 - Fonds Police-Pompiers de Coaticook

The City of Coaticook’s fire brigade had its start with the incorporation of the town in 1864 and began with bylaws to help reduce the likelihood of conflagration. By the late 1880s, Coaticook had its first organized fire brigade, called the Deluge Fire Company. A second brigade was added in 1898, called the Beaver Fire Company. Over time, the Coaticook Fire Department added various equipment, such as a steam fire pump in 1887, which marked the official beginning of the department.
Over the years, Coaticook had a number of major fires dealt with by department: in 1890, a number of buildings on Child and Main Streets succumbed to fire; in 1895 a fire destroyed a large part of the downtown; a third major fire in 1949 began in the Hotel Child and went on to destroy a number of other buildings, including the first building of the St-Jean-l’Évangeliste church.
In 1976, the firefighting services of Coaticook, Dixville, Ste-Edwidge and St-Herménégilde and a reorganization of the services was undertaken. Today, its principal mission is to assure the protection of the lives and property of the approximately 12,000 citizens situated in its member municipalities, which are spread over a territory of approximately 564 km2.