The Town of Petrolia has officially commemorated a former fire chief, politician, and oil pioneer with the grand opening of a fire training facility, named after John Henry Fairbank.
A ceremony was held on Wednesday at the J. H. Fairbank Fire Training Centre, located on Maude Street.
Instead of the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, a hose was cut using the Jaws of Life to mark the occasion.
Charlie Fairbank, great-grandson of John Henry Fairbank, and Pat McGee. May 4, 2022. (Photo by Natalia Vega)
Among those in attendance was Fairbank's great-grandson Charles Fairbank and his wife Pat McGee.
"He did a great deal for the town. It's a lovely event to come and see him honoured this way," said Charles.
McGee said the training facility is the first building in Petrolia to be named after Fairbank.
"This is an added piece of what he represented," said Charles.
Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Chief Jay Arns said naming the facility after Fairbank "was a no brainer".
Arns said they have been using the training facility for about three years now but an official grand opening was postponed.
"We landed on May 4 as our day three years ago and the pandemic put a damper on that so finally with the lifting of some restrictions and easing of some things, we were able to get it done today," he said.
The J. H. Fairbank Fire Training Centre hosts various training sessions which can range from one hour in length to multi-day or multi-month sessions. Arns said the training material also ranges from basic firefighter skills to officer-level and tech rescue training.
"Anything that our department can do to remain ahead of the training requirements and continue to enhance their skills is a benefit to Petrolia and area," said Acting Mayor Grant Purdy. "On behalf of council, we thank them for their dedication to training and upgrading their skills.”
May 4 is also recognized as International Firefighters Day.
