08/10/2026
Today was a hard day.
It was always going to be a hard one. The day had come to really say goodbye to our old home, but we could not have expected to be so intimately involved in that moment.
Opened in 1972, the old firehall served the firefighters and the community of Springhill well in the decades since. A place of shared joy in moments of celebration, a place of shared grief in moments of loss, and a sanctuary for our firefighters after more bad calls than we care to remember.
Many of us, firefighter or not, can summon more than one memory from that storied building. Many a Springhiller has celebrated a birthday, a wedding (or two..) or an anniversary there. Perhaps the memory you keep is of the building itself in a different time. Wood paneling in the lounge, the phone number printed across the big red bay doors, or maybe the sound of the old Scot pulling out on its way to a call. Maybe it was Mike sitting with the bay doors open on a sunny summer day. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that maybe, just maybe, the memory was of bingo..
For many today, the memory was of their first weeks and months in the fire service, with Springhill or another department, as they began their basic training in the old hall. This was mentioned more than once as we navigated today’s fire with support from neighbouring departments. To Oxford, Collingwood, Southampton, and Amherst Fire – thank you for being there for and with us today, and every other day. Pugwash and Westchester stepped up to help provide coverage in these communities as well. The fire service in Cumberland is small but mighty, and it is through the support of these and other departments that we are able to do the work we do. A quick note on this: on learning of the fire in Springhill, Amherst Fire reached out to make sure we knew they were ready and willing to show up with us today. There isn’t much I can say that sums up the fire service more than actions like that.
To our Auxiliary – thank you for always showing up for us, and with us. You consistently make the hard days a little softer with your kindness and attention, and today was no different. We cannot overstate our appreciation for each and every one one of you.
To those in the community who shared a kind word or an offer of support, thank you. To the employee from Foodland who walked over with cases of water – I didn’t get a chance to stop and thank you, but I did see you. It is those moments, those acts, that make a name on a map truly a community.
Today’s fire was neither a planned training event nor was it suspicious in nature. What it was, however, was a hard day made a bit easier by the kindness of friends and neighbours.
Stay safe and be kind,
Matthew Ward
Fire Chief
