THE POST_WAR PERIOD - Following the war and the massive demobilization, the service was left with very little outside of the vehicles. Most Fire Fighter tradesmen went back to their former civilian departments. The overall peacetime strength of the RCAF was set at 16,100 personnel. Of these, 300 positons were authorized for fire fighters. A few Sr NCO's opted to stay with the RCAF. It was this small beginning that was actually the start of the RCAF Fire Service as it was known from 1946 to unification of the three services. Many of the vehicles were sold through CAD. The municipality where the author presently lives purchased 6 wartime "crash tenders" and used them as rural fire trucks for several years. The only one that is still around as far as is known is owned by the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

By Phil Brown, Major, Retired - (Excerpts From Phil's History Of The Fire Service 1939-1975)