08/13/2026
One year ago today, at 5:22 p.m. on August 13th, 2025, our department responded to a report of smoke off the West Dalhousie Road. What followed was 40 days on scene, alongside 77 volunteer fire departments from across the province — the largest volunteer fire department response to a single incident in Nova Scotia's history. We gave it everything we had from start to finish. There were wins and there were losses, but we gained new friends and experiences along the way, and we left our community in the best condition we possibly could.
The community of West Dalhousie still feels the effects of that fire every day, and we know healing from something like this takes a long time. We wish every family and resident all the best in their continued recovery. We also remain immensely grateful for the hospitality shown to us throughout those 40 days — it never went unnoticed and it never will.
None of that was possible alone. To our members — thank you for showing up, day after day, whether it was a five-minute radio shift or weeks on the fire line. To your families — thank you for holding everything together at home, welcoming us back smelling of smoke, and being our strength when we had none left to give. And to our mutual aid departments — your sacrifice and teamwork are something we will never forget, and we will always be ready to stand beside you in return.
The past year has been about turning that experience into readiness. Our members have taken on basic wildfire response training, courses on responding to the urban wildland interface, and learned more about what a FireSmart property looks like. We've upgraded our UTV with a skid unit for wildland fire suppression and off-road rescue, purchased a new utility truck equipped with its own wildland suppression skid unit, and added an SPU kit to train our members to a higher standard for the next time we're called on.
One year on — thank you, still, from all of us at Bridgetown Volunteer Fire Department. Proudly serving our community since 1873.
