Thomas Chambers

Chief Thomas “Tom” Chambers

March 12, 1956 - Haliburton Fire Department

After much confusion as to where the town fire pumps were and how to run them at a serious fire in the Town of Haliburton in 1946, a public meeting was held at which Thomas Chambers was appointed fire chief at an annual salary of $50.  A small group of volunteers formed the fire department with a fire pump in the back of a pickup truck located at Chambers Motors, the chief’s business.

Around 1953 the town obtained its first fire truck, though there was so little interest in the fire department that Chief Chambers had a difficult time training anyone else to operate it.  In the first few days of March 1956, Chief Chambers managed to train volunteer firefighter Joe Isles in how to operate the pumper; and a week later he would operate it at a fire that would change his fire department forever.

At around 10:45 on the cold night of Monday, March 12, 1956, a passing citizen notified the volunteer brigade of a fire in the Bank of Montreal building on the main street.  The half-dozen volunteer firefighters under the direction of Chief Chambers found heavy smoke coming from the bank.  Wearing an outdated and inefficient filter smoke mask, Chief Chambers investigated the source of the fire.

After entering and exiting the building a couple of times shortly after eleven p.m., Chief Chambers advanced a 1 ½ inch hose line into the basement.  When the nozzle was turned on it got away from the chief and flew about wildly in the smoke-filled basement.  Chief Chambers, who might have been knocked down by the nozzle, was now unaccounted for.  Volunteer firefighter Boyd Robertson returned to the basement without the aid of any smoke mask and found the chief unconscious about eight feet from the stairway.  He attempted to drag him out but was unable to do so by himself and was forced out by the heavy smoke.  Now unable to enter the building, volunteers tried using a grappling hook lowered from the basement window but this also failed to bring the chief out.  As rescue attempts continued, the fire grew in intensity and threatened the entire town.  The Minden Fire Department arrived to help and pumped water from the lake to the Haliburton pumper.

Help also came from the Fenelon Falls Fire Department as Fire Chief James Curtis and Doug Ellery loaded some breathing apparatus and other equipment onto a trailer and headed up to Haliburton.  When they arrived they learned that Chief Chambers was still in the basement, and the two men entered with their breathing apparatus and recovered the body of the chief four hours after the last attempt had failed.  The last of the fire was not extinguished until daybreak.

Fire Chief Thomas Chambers was fifty-two years old and was survived by his wife, daughter and son.  His funeral was held in Carnarvon, Ontario, where he is buried at Twelve Mile Lake Cemetery.

Excerpt from “Their Last Alarm” by Robert Kirkpatrick, a book dedicated to Ontario firefighters who report for work prepared to risk their lives for the benefit of their communities.