About Centre Wellington Fire Rescue

In 1999, the Town of Fergus and the Village of Elora Fire Departments amalgamated to form the Centre Wellington Fire Rescue.

Here is a little bit of history on the two departments before that amalgamation.

Elora

Established in the mid 1800's, the Elora Fire Brigade as it was known as then, was located in the town's market square at 1 MacDonald Square, Elora. The drill shed was a two-story building with a bell tower and housed Elora's horse-drawn steamer pumper. The Elora Fire Brigade's drill shed was replaced by the Township of Centre Wellington's administrative offices in the 1960s.

The present-day Elora Station located at 72 Wellington Road 7, Elora was constructed in 1987.

Fergus

Established in 1853, the Fergus Fire Brigade originated at the corner of St. Patrick Street and Tower Street in Fergus. A two-story building was constructed in 1861 as a result of a fundraising effort to gather shares to cover the cost of construction. As the department grew, a third floor was added along with a main garage to house a motor powered engine. The department used this building along with many other local organizations (even the high school) to run operations.

In 1975, Town Council decided to build a new Fire Station to meet the expanding needs of the Fire Department, which is still its home at 250 Queen Street W., Fergus.

Centre Wellington Fire Rescue operate out of two stations:

• Elora Fire Station – 72 Wellington Road 7, Elora
• Fergus Fire Station – 250 Queen Street W, Fergus

The Township retained the services of Dillon Consulting Limited to develop a Master Fire Plan for Centre Wellington in 2017. The plan identified future requirements in the short term (1-3 years), medium term (4-6 years) and long term (7-10 years) based upon growth, trends, regulatory requirements and financial capabilities of the Township.  This plan will set the foundation for strategic decision making for the provision of fire and rescue services in Centre Wellington.

The Plan also identified fire risks and hazards, fire protection capabilities, public education, fire risk reductions and management, community preparedness and response, and funding and fiscal measures relating to fire protection with the purpose to formulate and plan for implementation of strategies for deficiencies which exist or may develop.

The Plan provided the Township of Centre Wellington with a systematic and comprehensive approach to evaluating risk and existing capabilities within the municipality and its fire department for the next 10 years.  It will also assist in the formulation and communication of the future direction and highlighting opportunities for optimizing service delivery. 

View the Final Fire Master Plan

Our response area not only includes the Township of Centre Wellington but also encompasses parts of Guelph Eramosa, Woolwich, Mapleton and Wellington North Townships. Our map outlines our response area.

In November 2023, Centre Wellington Fire Rescue received re-certification for being accredited for the delivery of Superior Tanker Shuttle Service.

The Superior Tanker Shuttle Service Accreditation is an alternative water supply for public fire protection for residences that are more than 300 m (1000 ft) from a fire hydrant and within 8 km (5 miles) of a fire station.

In the past residents paid a higher fire insurance premium for a residential property more than 300 m from a fire hydrant previously classified as a "Non-hydrant rate" and within 8 km of a fire hall.

Rural residents and any homeowners that are more than 300 m from a hydrant are encouraged to apply to their Insurance Company or Broker and advise them that the Township of Centre Wellington has Superior Tanker Shuttle Service Accreditation which may allow them to be eligible for a reduction in their fire insurance rates if they have not already done so.

When a call for help comes in, our personnel may be at their regular job, at the beach with the family, or sleeping in the middle of the night, they drop what they are doing and immediately respond to the fire station.

Drivers in Ontario are familiar with the emergency red flashing lights and sirens on police cars, ambulance and fire trucks and know that they are required by the law to pull to the right and stop when they see or hear them coming. But not everyone is aware of the Volunteer Firefighter's Green Flashing Light.

When you see a vehicle with a green flashing light that is a firefighter responding to the station for a call. This light does not give them any special privileges. It is only used to identify them so that other drivers may give up their right-of-way and allow the firefighter to get to the station quicker so that they can help someone in need.