1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: February 13, 1947 Town heeds quiet call from fire department

John D. Loewen had been a volunteer fireman for 16 years and fire chief for three years in 1947, when he made a quiet, subtle request to the city fathers for more equipment and to the public for better cooperation at the sites of fires in his annual report.

Loewen’s report at the February, 1947 annual fire brigade’s banquet and annual meeting was far more telling in what the chief did not say than what he did.

Loewen reported a dozen calls had been answered in the previous year, of which six were chimney fires. This led to a suggestion of fines for people who did not maintain their chimneys properly.

The chief pointed out that one of the fire brigade’s water tanks was beyond repair and one of the trailers was too light to carry a tank, making it difficult to supply enough water to fight fires effectively.

The chief also told the meeting that the fire engine itself was being kept in pretty fair shape, considering the age of the machine. A trip to Giroux in late fall had only taken 20 minutes from the time the call for help was made and he thought “this was fair going, even though we did arrive too late to be of any assistance.”

Mayor K.R. Barkman, at the helm since the Town of Steinbach became officially incorporated, spoke in support of the fire chief, outlining the town’s findings regarding fire equipment.

War Assets equipment was not endorsed by insurance underwriters and parts for that type of equipment, in any event, were not readily available, he said. What the town needed was a fair-sized truck with a built-on pump. To go with that, Steinbach should have a series of underground reservoirs supplied by artesian wells for an adequate water supply.

In this manner, Steinbach’s insurance rates would be cut by at least eight percent, Mayor Barkman pointed out.

In the matter of too many spectators blocking the way to fires, a problem alluded to by Chief Loewen, the Steinbach fire brigade would be authorized to appoint traffic police to keep roads clear of cars.

A delay in sounding the town’s siren until all the firemen had been called would be tried as a way to cut down on nuisance traffic. Quite often vehicles were already parked blocking driveways leading to the fire and the owners had left for better vantage points, taking the keys with them.

Two years later, when Chief Loewen handed over the reins as chief to Leonard Reimer, the Steinbach fire brigade had grown to 20 volunteers and was much better equipped.

The new chief and his volunteer crew, however, still had to deal with far too many chimney fires and an abundance of “helpful” citizens showing up and getting in the way at every fire scene.