Stories from Tri-City News headlines of decades past will be a recurring feature as the publication marks its 40th anniversary in 2024.
The opening in 1991 of a new fire hall on Mariner Way in Coquitlam was a bit of a coming of age for the city’s fire department.
The new structure was also the realization of a plan approved by the city's taxpayers in 1984 to modernize fire protection by moving away from smaller community halls manned mostly by a mix of volunteer and career firefighters to three more centralized full-size halls with professional staffs.
The new arrangement allowed for the introduction of new methods of fire response and the structures were large enough to be activated as emergency response centres in case of a disaster.
"We have, for a community of our size, one of the lowest fire losses in Canada," said then Coquitlam fire chief Doug Johnson.
"With a little bit of luck, and fire prevention and fire inspection, we can get better and better."
The opening was attended by about 700 people, including retired fire chief Derek Jackson, who devised Coquitlam's old community fire protection plan.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
