Spring of 1886: A fire ignited by CPR workers clearing brush quickly spreads and devastates the city, destroying over 1,000 buildings and displacing over 2,000 residents. 

Late 1886: The first fire engine arrives in Vancouver.

1899: The fire department enhanced its capabilities by purchasing a new chemical engine and a 75-foot aerial ladder truck to address larger buildings and increased electrical fires.

1904: No. 2 Firehall is built, becoming the largest in western Canada.

1908: First motorized vehicles are introduced to the fire department.

1915: Fires occur on the Cambie Street and Granville Street Bridges.

1926: The Department purchases its last fully white fire truck before transitioning to red vehicles for better visibility in the city's frequent fog.

1929: The amalgamation of South Vancouver and Point Grey expands the Vancouver Fire Department by six fire halls, over eighty men, and eight square kilometres.

1938: Vancouver experiences its largest fire since 1886 with the Canadian Pacific Pier D Fire, which destroys the entire pier in under 40 minutes, causing nearly $30 million in damages

March 1945: The SS Greenhill Park fire results in a massive explosion, with debris launched over 100 feet into the air and windows shattered up to eight blocks away.

December 6, 1946: Vancouver College catches fire, forcing 79 boarding students into the street around midnight. The damage exceeds $200,000, but much of the building is saved.

1947: Facing a severe shortage of equipment, the department bought a rush order of two American LaFrance pumpers, which arrived in just six months, allowing the city to once again have adequate fire coverage. 

1949: An arsonist sets fire to the Vancouver Airport Terminal and severs the phone lines to prevent the fire from being reported. The Vancouver radio operator contacts Calgary Airport, over 1,000 kilometres away, and they alert the VFD about 30 minutes later.

1951: The highly anticipated fireboat arrives, surpassing Seattle’s fireboat by at least 11,000 litres per minute, making it the most powerful in the world.

June 1958: The Second Narrows Bridge (now the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge) collapses, killing 19 people and injuring about 20 others due to a small mathematical error.

July 1, 1959: The E.L. Sauder Lumber Company fire draws an estimated 30,000 spectators and causes massive traffic jams, with 150 firefighters battling the hottest blaze in years.

1965: The first major fire of the year, known as the “peanut fire,” occurs when over 70 tons of peanuts are engulfed in flames. 

1967: The Vancouver Fire Department introduces new fire trucks with a two-tone red and white livery

July 1973: The Canadian Industries Limited building catches fire, releasing toxic smoke into the air due to burning cyanide. 

September 1973: All Vancouver firefighters are equipped with new plastic MSA helmets, replacing their previous leather or light metal helmets, improving safety.

1974: A fire breaks out on the Home Oil fuel barge, likely caused by careless smoking, igniting over 200,000 litres of gasoline and presenting a significant firefighting challenge.

December 1985: The Vancouver Fire Department upgrades their equipment with new fibreglass helmets, replacing the older plastic helmets that often melted in fires.

January 1, 1987: The fireboat is decommissioned, leaving Canada's busiest port without a fireboat for the first time in over 60 years.

December 25, 1988: Vancouver's most expensive house fire occurs, destroying Edgar Kaiser Jr.'s $20 million home and art collection in just 20 minutes

July 1991: A major fire occurs at the Coast Guard Dock, burning for three days and causing nearly $8 million in damages due to the lack of a fireboat.

1993: Five new fireboats are introduced, with two serving Vancouver

1995: The Vancouver Fire Department is renamed the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS). Later that year, the UBC Endowment Lands Fire Department is absorbed into VFRS.

April 1996: It is revealed that 70% of the calls attended by the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services are medical calls.

April 1997: VFRS makes the largest apparatus order in its history, purchasing 14 Quints (a combination of ladders, engines, pumpers, and rescues) and eight special life support units for a total of $14 million.

1998: Canada's only Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team becomes operational in Vancouver.

2002: VFRS adds two Wildlands Units to their roster, equipped with water and foam, to better protect the city's parks.

2007: The department places a significant order for 13 new engines, two new aerials, and two new Haz-Mat rigs.

2021: The city enacts a firework ban to reduce fire-related incidents.

2023: The VFRS buys Canada’s first electric fire truck, though it remains out of service due to a water leak issue.

August 2024: VFRS responds to a large construction fire in the Dunbar neighbourhood, requiring mutual aid from Richmond and Burnaby to ensure adequate coverage and manage the blaze.