Alfred-zéphirin Couture (1875-1925): Sherbrooke Police and Fire Chief from 1915 to 1925
In 1989, the City of Sherbrooke built Fire Station No. 5 on Léger Street at the corner of Industriel Boulevard, to replace the one built in 1918 at the corner of Belvédère Sud and Mcmanamy Streets. This last building still stands, having been converted for commercial use. In 1992, City
Council had named the fire station Alfred Zéphirin Couture for a popular Sherbrooke Police and Fire Chief who died while on duty. In 2011, the fire station underwent an expansion and important renovations for an amount of $1,230,000.
Alfred Zéphirin Couture was born in Sherbrooke on June 14, 1875. He was the son of Clarina St-cyr (18471914) and of Pierre Pit Couture (18481916). Pit had been one of the first Sherbrooke volunteer policemen recruited in 1874 and a volunteer firefighter in 1875. In 1899, Alfred Zéphirin married Élise Godbout (18741962) in Sherbrooke. Between 1900 and 1915, they had nine children: Jeanne, Émile, Lorenzo, Roméo, Noël, Berthe, Simone, Raoul and Fernand. In 1896, Alfred-zéphirin had joined the Police and Fire Department of which he was Chief from 1915 to 1925, having taken over from Joseph-eusèbe Hébert. During those years, he and his family above Fire and Police Station No. 1, which stood on the present location of the Séminaire de Sherbrooke parking lot on Marquette Street. In 1918, during the Spanish influenza epidemic, he was a member of the Public Health Committee organized by City Council to fight against the spread of the disease. Around 1921, he started the first police motorcycle squad to control the traffic of the few cars in town. He also oversaw the building of a new central fire station, which was inaugurated in 1925, after his death. The building was demolished in 1990 to give way to the Éva-senécal Library. He had died suddenly on June 14, 1925, his birthday, aged 50. Alfred-zéphirin Couture received an large civic funeral, the City closing businesses and schools to mark the occasion. The funeral procession of some thousand people accompanied his casket from the Cathedral, along Wellington Nord Street and to Saint-michel Cemetery. Hector-olivier Camirand (1890-1958) replaced from him as Chief of Police and of the Fire Department.
Submitted by
Jean-marie Dubois (Université de Sherbrooke) and Gérard Coté (LennoxvilleAscot Historical and Museum Society)