Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department

Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department Please note this account is NOT monitored. Please report all emergencies by calling 911!

Last night, WBVFD members wrapped up our in-house Vehicle Extrication Training Program for summer of 2026!This program t...
09/04/2026

Last night, WBVFD members wrapped up our in-house Vehicle Extrication Training Program for summer of 2026!

This program took almost the entire summer to complete and included an Advanced First Aid for Firefighters course, along with extensive hands-on vehicle extrication training.

Throughout the summer, members worked through increasingly challenging, real-life scenarios involving vehicles on their sides, on their roofs, and in difficult positions with various obstructions and hazards. Crews practiced vehicle stabilization, patient access and removal, tool operations, and different extrication techniques.

We also made sure things didn't always go according to plan! Members were challenged with simulated tool and equipment failures, forcing crews to adapt, communicate, problem-solve, and find another way to safely complete the rescue.

It has been a great summer of training for our department, with members putting in many hours outside of regular emergency responses and their own work and family commitments.

With the weather starting to cool off, we'll now shift our focus back toward fireground skills and structural firefighting training for the fall and winter.

Great work by everyone who participated! 🔥🚒

We hope everyone had a great summer!

Firefighter Fitness, team work, and determination—this is what this sport is built on since the early 90s.Pushing yourse...
09/01/2026

Firefighter Fitness, team work, and determination—this is what this sport is built on since the early 90s.

Pushing yourself to your full VO2 max in 60 pounds of gear, carrying heavy equipment, and working through while breathing from an SCBA bottle is not for the weak.

This sport keeps us in shape to be able to do our jobs—career and volunteer. When a call comes in at 2am and there are reports of people trapped, our training and our fitness are really some of the only things we can control.

It’s not about the time on the clock. It’s about never giving up and finishing when everything in your body is telling you to quit—and fighting through the moment where you just want to rip the mask off to catch your breath.

Thanks to for the amazing shots.

08/24/2026

Last but not least, we have Barry! This was his second year competing, and absolutely crushed it once again.

Last but certainly not least, we had Barry Wooldridge representing the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Dept in the individual competition on Saturday 🧯🔥

Wearing bunker gear and SCBA, carrying over 40 lbs of equipment, adds almost 100 pounds to his body weight. Wearing the breathing apparatus, It doesn’t just add weight—it adds so much pressure on your breathing and your body. With the gear trapping heat and limiting your dexterity, it’s nicknamed the toughest two minutes in sport—and everyone can see why.

And then… the challenge doesn’t stop. After that comes the moment where you get the pleasure of dragging a 175 lb dummy 100 ft at full VO₂ max. 💪😮‍💨

This was Barry’s second year competing, and he absolutely crushed it once again.
We are so proud of you Barry!! 🎉

Town of Witless Bay

What an incredible week! We’re all still coming down off the hype. Thank you to the City of St. Johns and the SJRFD for...
08/24/2026

What an incredible week! We’re all still coming down off the hype.

Thank you to the City of St. Johns and the SJRFD for hosting, and to everyone who supported our department along the way this weekend.

Also, big thanks to other members who stayed in the area so our team could travel and watch without leaving our area unprotected.

We have so much media to go through—more to come!

08/23/2026

Way to hustle Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department with a team relay up against Pouch Cove Fire Department.

Firefighter Steph Croft
Firefighter Andrew Gibbons
Firefighter Cutler Walsh
Firefighter Barry Woolridge

Relays coming right up!
08/23/2026

Relays coming right up!

08/23/2026

Some days don’t go 100%—and that’s okay.

It was Fire Chief Jack Gatherall’s second Firefit race, and he was on his way to beating last year’s time by a few seconds. But with about 15 feet left to finish, something happened. He doesn’t really remember tripping or slipping—only that he came to with a 175-pound dummy on top of him, while his heart rate was still pegged at full V̇O₂ max.

Getting the dummy off was brutal—like lifting a car. He got it off, stood back up, and started moving again. And despite everything, he finished the race.

Never give up. Never quit. That is what this sport is all about. To everyone who cheered for him—thank you.

Jack said this was, without question, the hardest thing he’s ever done. Things happen. And he’s already looking forward to racing again next season.

08/22/2026

🚒🔥

Next up we wanted to show off Firefighter Evan Murphy representing Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department and his absolutely unreal race against Alex Raiche from Fermont, Quebec.

From the very start, Evan showed grit—but let’s talk about the moment that could’ve ended it all: recovering from a dummy drop. That is so hard to rebound from… and most people lose the momentum right there.

Well, Evan went beast mode. 💪
He fought his way back, recovered strong, and pushed through to close out the show.

Way to represent our department. Great job Evan.

08/22/2026

Hats off to our very own Firefighter Andrew Gibbons, representing the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Dept. 🧯🔥

Today he raced against Gavin Perry of SJRFD—and it’s something most people can’t truly imagine.

Wearing bunker gear and SCBA, carrying over 40 lbs of equipment, adds almost 100 pounds to his body weight. Wearing the breathing apparatus, It doesn’t just add weight—it adds so much pressure on your breathing and your body. With the gear trapping heat and limiting your dexterity, it’s nicknamed the toughest two minutes in sport—and everyone can see why.

And then… the challenge doesn’t stop. After that comes the moment where you get the pleasure of dragging a 175 lb dummy 100 ft at full VO₂ max. 💪😮‍💨

We are incredibly proud of you, Andrew—especially on your first race! 👏👏

Town of Witless Bay

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow at Firefit! 🔥🏃‍♂️The stage is set at the Mary Browns Centre—the first indoor event...
08/22/2026

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow at Firefit! 🔥🏃‍♂️

The stage is set at the Mary Browns Centre—the first indoor event in 20+ years.
And best of all: It’s completely free to the public! ✅

This year, Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department has 6 firefighters taking part in the course.

Huge thanks to and to all the volunteers working behind the scenes night and day to bring this event to our province. 🙌

Address

219 Main Southern Shore Highway
Witless Bay, NL
A0A4K0

Telephone

+17093343407

Website

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