O'Leary Fire Department celebrates 85th anniversary through photos and memories

It's been more than 25 years since Wyman Harris retired from the O'Leary Volunteer Fire Department. But when he looks at photos from back then, it seems like just yesterday.

"I've seen them before, but you kind of forget," said Harris, holding a photo of himself in the late 1990s.

The photos have been brought out of storage as part of the department's 85th anniversary celebration. Current fire chief Ron Phillips says the department got started in 1939 when federal defence funding was offered at the start of the Second World War.

"They built that little building, and bought their first truck and actually got some equipment, and slowly built from there," he said.

Over the years, the fire station has moved twice, from the original one-bay wooden building to a second location on Willow Avenue in the 1970s, and finally to the current building in the mid-1990s.

"You could just get one truck in," Harris said of the original building, which was still in use when he joined the department.

"We had a little space heater. We all used to huddle around it to keep warm when we used to have our meetings. There was probably a half a dozen of us."

Fire department family

Harris was a firefighter for 25 years. But for him and others, it's something you don't really retire from. That includes his son, Dana Harris, who was with the department for about a decade in the '80s and '90s and eventually served two years as chief.

"You're always excited and proud of your dad going out the door to fight a fire," said the younger Harris. "So when I was...19, 20, I was old enough to join the department and I did."

One of the things he remembers most is how the other firefighters modified regular trucks into firetrucks.

"We would get in the back of those trucks — no seat belts, just a wooden bench to sit on. The doors had like cupboard latches on them," he said. "Today the equipment they drive is definitely a lot more suited for safety…But luckily back then we didn't ever lose anybody and we all got to where we needed to go safely."

Personal gear has also improved a lot over the years, especially since Wyman Harris joined.

"Sometimes we didn't have too much but we got by with it, didn't we?"

Among 1st women to join

Carol Gillis was one of the first female firefighters to join, back in 2001.

"Always had these guys around me, so I never ever felt scared. I always felt protected; they were always good to me," said Gillis, who retired in 2022 after more than two decades.

She still remembers the first time she got what's called the "firefighters high" after a call that had a positive ending.

"The adrenaline was just unreal," she said. "And what I couldn't get over was the camaraderie amongst everybody. It was like having another family. It was great."

Firefighters serving for more than a decade all receive a special gift — a key to the station and designation as an honourary member.

So although Gillis isn't technically with the department anymore, she still comes to the station regularly to chat, or to wash the school bus she drives. And she still breathes in deeply every time she enters.

"Smells like smokey gear, smells like smokey trucks," she said. "I love that smell."

Learning the history

The 85th anniversary would've gone by without much recognition if it weren't for deputy chief Davis Gallant. He's the one who came up with the idea of posting a photo to social media every day for 85 days.

"We pulled the box of photos out and started looking through them, and there's a lot of them I haven't seen. Most of the people I recognize, just from being in a small community," said Gallant, who's been with the department for 16 years.

"It's really nice to look through them and see who played a part in the department becoming what it is today."

Many O'Leary residents have joined the department over the years, including the town's current mayor, Eric Gavin. Longtime P.E.I. Firefighters Association chief instructor Miles Boulter was also the O'Leary chief for many years.

Yet the current chief said there hasn't been much record-keeping done in the past.

"I have looked through the pictures over the years and you just kind of scratched your head and went, 'Well, there's somebody I have no clue,'" said Phillips, who's been with the department for 34 years.

Among the photos are a child sitting on the lap of a firefighter dressed as Santa; a group of firefighters standing proudly beside other departments at a training event; awards being handed out at retirement ceremonies.

Over the decades, children and families grew up alongside the fire station.

"Everybody would bring food on Halloween night, and if it happened that we didn't get any calls, we'd all just sit around and pig out," said Gillis. "In the summer we always have a get-together, and Christmas time we always have a get-together."

But that small-town atmosphere also brings downsides when a call comes across the pager.

"One of the first thoughts that comes across your mind a lot of the time is, 'Geez, I hope this is not a family member or somebody I know,'" Gallant said.

"Times can get really tough, but regardless of the situation we all pull together and help each other get through."

Team members for life

Like many fire stations on P.E.I. the O'Leary department is fully staffed by volunteers — 28, to be exact. Since the early days, firefighters have left their day jobs when duty calls, to battle blazes, respond to medical calls and attend crash scenes.

"Back then I worked at the Co-op…in the meat counter," said Wyman Harris. "They'd always let the boys go, the different places where the firemen worked. They'd give them time off to go to a fire."

Harris said going out on a call back in the day didn't always have a happy ending. But the memories — and the people — stick with him.

"A lot of the boys are gone… but I guess we're all gonna get that way," he said.

While Wyman's son Dana is no longer a member, he still lives nearby and he thinks of the firefighters every time the siren goes off.

"I'm just grateful to have these guys in my backyard. I know if I need them, they're a block away… We're just lucky to have them here."

Phillips and Davis, along with other current firefighters, are labelling the backs of photos as they post them online, with the eventual goal of digitizing the collection to preserve it well into the future.

"Like Carol said and Davis said, this is a family," Phillips said. "And a lot of this is to find out who our family members are."