John Bigger can still see the smoke rising over Beamsville.
The siren had just sounded in the distance, and Bigger, as a volunteer firefighter, sprung to action. He could see the smoke in the distance.
"There was a column of black smoke about a mile high in the air," said Bigger. "I knew it was going to be a rocker. When we pulled up to the fire, the whole valley was a valley of fire. All we could do was save the neighbouring houses. It was too late.
"The flames were as high as you could see."
The fire would decimate the former Stad Lumber. It would never be rebuilt.
The lumber yard fire is the largest fire Bigger can recall in his 42 years with the local fire department.
One could say Bigger was born to be a firefighter. He had an early introduction to firefighting as his father, Bill, and uncle, Glen, served with the Louth department when he was a child.
It was a time when firefighters didn't carry pagers. The siren at the fire hall would alert the men, and they would respond, in whatever clothes they were wearing.
While the men bravely fought the flames, their wives would prepare sandwiches and coffee as it would likely be a long day on scene. Bigger would join his mom in delivering food and drink to the men.
"Every big fire, I'd get to go to," said Bigger. "It was exciting as a young child. When that whistle blew, it meant fire."
Bigger caught the bug and joined the department's junior firefighters. When he came of age, he signed up for the real deal.
One year into the job, he responded to his first big blaze.
It was Sept. 10, 1970 and Prudhommes Landing was a prime destination. The resort, swimming pools, curling rinks, bowling alley and arcades made it a North American destination.
"There was tonnes of smoke," said Bigger, flipping through a scrap book on his last day on the job as district chief for stations three and four. "We pulled up and there was so much smoke."
That fire caused roughly $500,000 in damages to the lakefront property.
The job was different in those days. While today, the majority of the calls that come in to the department are for medical assistance, back then the threat of fire was more serious.
Early detection was almost non-existent. There were no smoke alarms to alert residents.
Most times, by the time the department arrived on scene, it was too late to save the structure. The focus would be on knocking down the flames and protecting neighbouring homes from fire.
While the Stad Lumber fire is the largest Bigger can recall, it was not the most alarming.
Bigger didn't know what to think when the tanker came to a stop on the Queen Elizabeth Way that day in 1978. An 8,000-gallon tanker was fully engulfed. A car had come across the median and lodged into the truck, said Bigger, taking out its roof. Gas was spilling everywhere. On the roads and into the nearby Jordan Harbour.
"All we could do was sit back and let the tanker cool and let it burn down," said Bigger, noting the department was on pins and needles. "Anything could have happened if that tanker went."
The highway was shut down for 15 hours as firefighters waited for the fire to burn out.
Despite the risk and unexpected interruptions, Bigger has been committed to the department in his 42 years. He has seen change in the more than four decades he has served his community.
It's almost an even split, Bigger said, the first 20 years were different than the last 20.
"On my first day they handed me a helmet, a rain coat and a pair of boots," said Bigger. "The training was minimal."
Today, firefighters train weekly. Their equipment is top of the line. It's a change that has evolved the role of firefighters. Once there only to fight flames, today a large part of the job is being proactive in fire prevention.
"You accept the risk," said Bigger. "And we train not to get hurt. Everything at the fire department is about safety. We train to be safe. And we train to keep the community safe."
While Bigger is officially retiring from his post as district chief, a position he assumed in 2007 after serving as district chief for station four since 2003, he is not done with the working world yet. Bigger has another year on the job driving truck before he hits real retirement.
"My wife will be happy she won't have to hear my pager all the time," said Bigger, who says he doesn't think he'll miss the job.
"I asked (retired fire chief) Scott Blake, who had 47 years in, a year in, I asked him if he missed it," said Bigger. "And he told me no. He's still part of the family.
"If he didn't miss it, and he is Mr. Fire, then I'm not going to miss it.
"It's a young man's game now," said Bigger, who turns 63 this year. "And I'm not a young guy anymore."
Bigger hung up his helmet last Tuesday, April 30, marking an end to a 42-year career in the fire service, However, the Bigger family tradition continues through his three sons Chad, Adam and J.W., all full-time firefighters with the City of St. Catharines. Each of them, and Bigger's youngest son Josh, started with the service as volunteers with Lincoln Fire and Rescue Service.
With Bigger retiring his helmet, acting district chief Bill Blake, son of past fire chief Scott Blake, will step up to the position of district chief for stations three and four - Jordan and Vineland.
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