Nova Scotia·NewAfter nearly 75 years in operation, the Municipality of Cumberland is shutting down the volunteer fire department in the small town of Joggins, N.S., citing poor leadership, alleged misconduct and an unsafe fire hall. Longtime Joggins firefighter says members feel move a ‘slap in the face’ Andrew Sampson · CBC News · Posted: Oct 18, 2025 5:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 33 minutes agoThe Municipality of Cumberland says the Joggins Volunteer Fire Department is no longer registered with the county. (Google Maps)The Municipality of Cumberland is shutting down the volunteer fire department in Joggins, N.S., citing poor leadership, alleged misconduct and an unsafe fire hall. In a release Saturday, the municipality said the Joggins Volunteer Fire Department is no longer registered. Effective immediately, its services will now be provided by the neighbouring River Hebert Fire Department, located approximately five kilometres away.“These decisions don’t come easily,” said Rod Gilroy, the municipality’s mayor. “They’re very tough.“You’re in a spot where you’re almost ripping the heart out of a community … but … I think at the end of the day, the citizens will be better served, and so will the members.” Gilroy said the decision to revoke the department’s registration came following a series of events over the past year that resulted in the municipality’s senior management losing faith in the department’s ability to do its job. A recent engineering assessment that found the fire hall to be unsafe also played a role. “If the level of service and the quality of service is not in a spot where it needs to be, then perhaps a citizen or others could be put at risk,” he said. “We have to be very aware of that, too.” Gilroy declined to elaborate on specific instances of misconduct, but said recent events played a factor in the decision.“There has been some charges brought against … members of the department recently as a result of an incident last weekend,” he said. “This was just one of several things that have happened recently that would cause us to question the ability of the leadership of that department to lead and carry out their duties in the manner in which we want them to do so.” ‘We were betrayed’John Reid, a current member of the department and the former chief, said the decision to dismantle the department is devastating. He learned of the news around lunchtime Saturday after his son called to tell him the municipality had visited the Joggins fire hall and removed its trucks.“I just feel like we were betrayed by the county,” says Reid. “They came down like thieves in the night.” He’s also frustrated the decision was made without consultation.Members of the department will now meet on Monday to decide whether to ask for a review of the decision, which must be done in the next 14 days.Gilroy said the remaining members of the department are being encouraged to volunteer in River Hebert, but Reid thinks that’s unlikely. “I think they feel it’s been a major slap in the face by the county without even sitting down and giving us a chance to look at what the future plan might be,” said Reid. At 71, Reid’s not interested in volunteering with a new department, but said he doesn’t fault anyone for doing so. He’s worried, however, that with the loss of the Joggins fire department, the wider community will suffer. Life and deathHe said that the short distance between the two fire stations may not look like much on paper, the extra time to respond could mean the difference between life and death. “I can think back over the years, we’ve had at least five saves to do in CPR, and if we didn’t live right here in the community, they wouldn’t have been saved.” Gilroy, however, said he believes the quality of service will remain the same. For many years, he said, both Joggins and River Hebert have been operating on a dual-service model, which means that both departments respond to all fire and emergency calls that come in.“Quite frankly, I feel that we’re not putting them in a spot of jeopardy,” he said. “We’re not decreasing the service in any way, shape or form. You know, they actually are still going to be closer to a fire hall than most of the people in the county of Cumberland.” A replacement for the River Hebert fire hall, which Gilroy says is aging and in need of a new roof, will be discussed at council later this month. The municipality estimates it will cost $3.5 million.MORE TOP STORIES
Volunteer fire department shut down by Cumberland County after alleged misconduct
