125 years of Bravery, Safety and Honour The St. John’s Fire Department was originally established in 1895 under the government to protect the citizens of St. John’s after the Great Fire of 1892 which saw the destruction of hundreds of homes, leaving thousands of people homeless and causing millions of dollars in damage. In 1992 the department was transferred to the City of St. John’s to provide emergency protection to St. John’s and Mount Pearl through a Regional Fire Services Committee. It subsequently became known as the St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD) which now proudly serves St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Paradise.
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CITY GUIDE | FALL 2020
We value the history and tradition of the SJRFD, an organization built on the past. Just as importantly we value the commitment of the men and women who are currently with the department, who share the responsibility of shaping our future.
Contact us: Fire Prevention Division 576-3905 fireprevention@stjohns.ca sjrfd.ca @SJRFD
The SJRFD of today is a modern and progressive department that is committed to protecting the lives and property of the citizens we serve. “The men and women of the SJRFD provide these services in a professional manner and are to be commended for this, given some of the many inherent challenges of protecting a combination of historic and modern architecture,” says Chief Colford.
The St. John’s Regional Fire Department was born out of the Great Fire of 1892 which burned over two-thirds of St. John’s leaving over 11,000 homeless. The aftermath can be seen in the picture below.
