Ottawa firefighter receives fire horn marking family commitment to fire service

July 18, 2024, Ottawa — Firefighter Emily MacDonald was recently presented with a personal fire horn to mark the over 100 years of service her family has provided to Canadian fire departments.

It began with her great-great-grandfather Captain Alex Castell, who was a member of Station #10 in Montreal in 1932.

The tradition passed to her father, Ret. Fire Inspector Don MacDonald of the Ottawa Fire Service, who was in the crowd for the award presentation to his daughter.

The horn was presented by another family connection, Ret. Fire Chief William J. Timmons, who served with Westmount Fire Department from 1957 to 1990 and retired with the top job.

His father, Captain Joseph Francis Timmons Sr., served with Captain Castell in Montreal, working with the department from 1927 to 1963.

This was followed by his brother, Joseph Francis Jr., serving as chief of operations for the same department from 1956 to 1988.

This interconnection of six generations of fire fighting in Canada was marked with the ceremonial passing of the torch at a recent Society of Fire Protection Engineers event in Ottawa.