Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PICK-HEADED AXE

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1990

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

4.0

Length

89.1

Width

25.5

Description

FIRE AXE OR PICK-HEADED AXE. WOODEN HANDLE WITH METAL HEAD. HANDLE IS UNFINISHED WOOD, WITH A BRIGHT 6.5CM ORANGE STRIPE APPROXIMATELY 1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE HANDLE FROM THE HEAD. THE KNOB AND GRIP OF THE AXE CURVES SLIGHTLY AND IS SLIGHTLY WIDER THAN THE REST OF THE HANDLE, UNTIL THE JUNCTION WITH THE METAL HEAD (THE SHOULDER), WHERE THE HANDLE IS THE WIDEST. METAL HEAD HAS A BLADE AND PICK. OVERALL IN FAIR TO GOOD CONDITION. SEVERAL SCRATCHES IN THE WOODEN HANDLE, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE HEAD. THE GRIP AND KNOB IS WELL WORN AND SCUFFED. A LARGE SLIVER OF WOOD IS MISSING FROM THIS AREA, BUT GIVEN THE WEAR PATTERN, THE SLIVER WAS LOST EARLY IN THE AXE'S USE. METAL HEAD IS VERY WORN. IT APPEARS TO HAVE HAD A RED FINISH AT ONE POINT, WHICH IS ALMOST ENTIRELY GONE. REMNANTS OF RED REMAIN ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE HEAD, WHERE THE HEAD AND HANDLE MEET. BLADE AND PICK OF HEAD ARE BOTH WELL USED AND HAVE LOST THEIR SHARPNESS.

Subjects

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS FIRE AXE (PICK-HEADED AXE) WAS USED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED AT THE TIME OF DONATION, JESSE KURTZ, DEPUTY CHIEF – SUPPORT SERVICES (RETIRED), EXPLAINED THAT THIS AXE WOULD BE “USED IN FORCIBLE ENTRY, OVER HAUL, VENTILATION [AND] IS STILL USED TODAY, BUT [NOW WE] HAVE FIBERGLASS HANDLES OR COMPOSITE HANDLES.” IN THE SUMMER OF 2015, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN, CONDUCTED A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING: CLIFF “CHARLIE” BROWN (HIRED IN 1966, RETIRED 2004), TREVOR LAZENBY (HIRED IN 1994), RAYMOND “RAY” PETIT (HIRED 1965, RETIRED 1998), AND LAWRENCE DZUREN (HIRED 1959, RETIRED 1992). BROWN ADDED “PROBABLY THAT’S WHAT FIREFIGHTERS ARE NOTED FOR, IS AN AXE, BECAUSE AN AXE WAS USED SO MANY TIMES. … WHAT THE HYDRANT KEY COULDN’T DO, THE AXE DID … THIS OLD AXE WAS GOOD. IT WAS A GOOD OLD PRY-BACK, PRY AXE … SOMETIMES WE HAD TO GO TO A FARM FIRE. THEY HAD A POND THERE. WE HAD TO GET THE WATER, SO WE’D CUT A HOLE IN THE ICE WITH OUR AXE.” LAZENBY AGREED: “THIS IS ONE OF THE CLASSIC FIRE SERVICE TOOLS … THIS WAS PROBABLY THE PRIMARY TOOL THAT WE WOULD GRAB OFF THE TRUCK YEARS AND YEARS AGO IF WE HAD TO VENTILATE THE ROOF OF A STRUCTURE. BACK IN THE DAY WE DIDN’T NECESSARILY HAVE A CHAINSAW OR A K-12 SAW TO CUT THROUGH THE SHINGLES AND THE SHEETING AND THE SHIPLAP BOARDS AND SO IT WAS HARD WORK … THESE GET TAKEN OFF THE TRUCK ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE’RE NOW IN THE HABIT OF TAKING TOOLS WITH US ON MOST CALLS … THESE [AXES] HAVE CHANGED. THE HANDLES ARE NO LONGER WOODEN; THEY’VE GONE TO FIBERGLASS. THEY’RE A BIT LIGHTER. THEY’RE MORE IMPACT-RESISTANT. YOU DON’T GET SLIVERS AND SPLINTERS WITH FIBERGLASS LIKE YOU DO WITH THE OLD. WE USE TO SAND THESE DOWN WITH SANDPAPER. WE WOULD OIL THEM UP A LITTLE BIT TO KEEP THE FINISH NICE AND THE HEADS WOULD RUST LIKE CRAZY, SO AGAIN, LIKE OUR HYDRANT KEY WE WOULD GET THE STEEL WOOL OUT OR SANDPAPER AND SAND IT AND OIL IT TO KEEP IT FROM RUSTING UP. AS OFTEN AS OUR TRUCKS GET WASHED, THESE USED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE EXTERIOR TAILBOARD OF THE TRUCK, SO EVERY TIME WE DROVE THROUGH INCLEMENT WEATHER OR WASHED THE VEHICLE, IT WAS EXPOSED TO ROAD GRIME AND WET.” PETIT ELABORATED: “WE USED THEM QUITE A BIT IF THERE WAS A VENT ON THE BUILDING, TO TEAR THE VENT. SAY THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ATTIC AND YOU WANTED TO TEAR THE VENTS, WE’D USUALLY USE AN AXE LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF THE PICK SO YOU COULD GET UNDERNEATH THE METAL AND RIP IT … I DEFINITELY USED THEM … MOSTLY HOUSE FIRES, LIKE FIRES IN THE ATTIC AND THERE’S A VENT AND YOU TEAR THE VENT OFF AND SOMETIMES YOU’D TRY TO MAKE THE HOLE BIGGER SO THAT SMOKE AND STUFF CAN GET OUT. BUT LIKE I SAY, EVENTUALLY, WE DIDN’T USE AN AXE TO MAKE A HOLE, WE USED A POWER SAW.” DZUREN AGREED: “IT’S FOR CHOPPING OR FOR GETTING, AGAIN, THROUGH ANY TYPE OF WALL WHERE YOU HAVE TO PUNCTURE A HOLE THROUGH THERE.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Catalogue Number

P20150010003

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

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