John Roe replaced his brother-in law as fire chief when Chief Thomas Wastie resigned from the tire department in 1880.
Chief Roe was born in Ireland and moved to London at a very young age. He was a blacksmith and carriage maker by trade and his business was located near the central fire hall. Roe was involved in the volunteer brigades and was named to the paid department when it was formed in 1873.
Chief Roe came to be idolized by his firefighters. He had several brushes with death including being thrown against a brick wall after a fire wagon rolled over on the way to a fire. His 24 years of service as London’s fire chief came to a tragic end when he was killed while fighting a fire at the Sterling Shoe factory on January 6th, 1904. He was 63 years old. Mayor Adam Beck said Chief Roe’s “faithful and efficient service will be long remembered by our citizens.” his record of longevity as chief of the department still stands.
Fire Station No. 3 at 550 Commissioners Road West is named in honour of Chief Roe.
To read more about Chief Roe, use the tag Fire Chief John A. Roe