The current Hamilton Central Station building (technically Station Number 1 and on some sites referred to as "the Big House") was built in 1913.
Somewhat unique to this firehall is the Hamilton Fire Station Museum which you can read about at (
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The station has 4 bay doors in the classic "firehouse" look. The northern-most door was widened to accommodate a larger ladder truck.
This is also one of only two stations in the city to have a fire pole. Hamilton's fire department was the first in Canada to have sliding poles, along with a number of other firsts:
"The fire department in Hamilton dates back to 1879, when Alexander Aitchison was appointed Fire Chief of the city. Aitchison was responsible for radically reforming the department, and during his tenure, the department was changed into an entirely paid one, as well as introducing the first swinging harness and sliding pole in Canada." - Source: (
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"Fire Station 1 serves the downtown and core of Hamilton. It has the smallest district in the city being only 11 blocks wide and 26 blocks long. Its primary response district is only 1.6 square miles (4.14 square kilometres) of the 463 square miles (1200 square kilometres) that make up the “City Of Hamilton”. Despite its small district it managed to respond to approximately 4000 calls a year.
Station 1’s district may be the most diverse of all of the districts in the city. From the bay to the bottom of the escarpment, it has variety." Source: (
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