A Canadian Company Established in 1959!
On being discharged from the Canadian Army in 1945 and finishing an interrupted education, Thomas Webster started his career in the fire protection industry in Windsor, Ontario as an accountant with the General Detroit Corp. Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of a large United States manufacturer of fire extinguishers. He later became General Manager of the Canadian operations before the company was eventually sold and the Canadian subsidiary was dissolved.
In 1959, with three children and another on the way, Mr. Webster and his wife Selena founded National Fire Equipment Ltd. from their small family home on St. Paul Avenue in Windsor. With hard work, determination, and considerable financial sacrifices, National eventually became a respected supplier to the fire industry specializing in standpipe sales, fire extinguisher service and system installations in the Southwestern Ontario area. Mr. Webster later joined forces with Canadian Fire Hose Corp. (CFH) in 1965 and moved to Montreal.
In 1973 he moved to his hometown of Toronto and established the new National Fire Equipment Ltd. head office in Scarborough. Shortly thereafter, with partners, he started Mercedes Textiles Ltd., now the premium hose manufacturer in Canada. National continues to supply a complete line of Mercedes fire hose products today. In addition to industrial and municipal fire hose, National Fire Equipment also offers a complete line of forestry and municipal fire fighting products including pumps, nozzles, and tools.
Mr. Webster’s two sons, Keith and Daniel, had become active in the business and, in the early 1990s, decided to diversify the company into the fire sprinkler markets. Through strategic acquisitions and internal growth, National Fire expanded its product lines to offer its customers complete system components in all major centers across Canada.
After purchasing the assets of Simplex Grinnell’s steel pipe fabrication facility on Matheson Boulevard in Mississauga, Ontario, and forming National Fire Fabrication Ltd., the company became one of the largest providers of prefabricated steel pipe to fire contractors in the country.
Thomas Webster became less active in the business and fully retired in 1991. Daniel Webster took over as president in 2004.
After a long career, growing up in the great depression, serving his country and wounded in the fields of Belgium during World War II, with 5 children, and 9 grandchildren, that start of our company at the age of 95 on Canada Day July 1, 2016, Mr. Webster passed away of natural causes at Sunnybrook War Veteran’s Center in Toronto.
Thomas Webster’s youngest son, Daniel Webster continued to operate the business, working along side the fantastic employees of National Fire we continue to grow and diversify.
As of April 2025, National Fire was acquired by Wolseley Canada Inc. the Canadian operating arm of Ferguson Enterprises Inc., North America's largest value-added distributor of plumbing, HVAC, PVF, waterworks and fire protection products.
After 40 years of exceptional service, we announce the retirement of Daniel Webster, President and CEO of National Fire Equipment Ltd., effective July 20th, 2026.
Dan’s leadership has made an indelible mark on our organization. Our success has been driven by his leadership, with a company culture built on teamwork and comradery. It has been a privilege to have been led by Dan’s guidance through the years and to see the growth and accomplishments we have achieved. We thank Dan for fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment with values of hard work and fairness.
Click here for a message from Daniel Webster on National Fire Equipment Ltd. leadership transition.
Established in 1959, National Fire Equipment Ltd. is a multi-branch company dedicated exclusively to the fire protection industry. With our corporate offices located near Toronto, Ontario and distribution centers and sales offices across the country, National Fire offers the most complete range of fire protection products in North America. We keenly support our trade associations such as NFPA, CASA and NAFED in the ongoing improvement of our industry and the advancement of fire protection safety. We work with building code consultants, designers and consulting engineers in the development of fire protection products to improve fire safety, enable fire fighting and protect lives.
As of April 2025, National Fire is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wolseley Canada Inc., the Canadian operating arm of Ferguson Enterprises., North America's largest value-added distributor of plumbing, HVAC, PVF, waterworks and fire protection products.
We are a fully diversified, one-stop shop for fire protection specialists involved in the specification, design, installation, inspection, testing and service of fire protection systems and components. We are the leading manufacturer and supplier of fire protection equipment in Canada. No matter what industry sector you service or type of equipment you need, if it’s involved with fire protection, we have it!
National Fire Equipment is Canada’s leading fire protection supplier of innovative products, services, and solutions. We are committed to being a trusted partner to our valued customers through our highly knowledgeable and dedicated team.
The employees at National Fire are among the brightest in the business. Many of our customer service and sales team are from the industry and have worked in the contracting and system design field. Our customer support people understand your business and know every product’s capabilities to help you choose the right equipment for the job or application.
We sell only fire fighting related products to fire protection professionals. And we support that exceptional commitment through knowledgeable advice from our technical support experts.
While we continue to develop our own manufactured products, we are committed to always sourcing out through the global markets, providing the most innovative products available to our customers. Our distribution divisions partner with the leading and most innovative manufacturers in the fire protection industry – names such as Tyco, ASC Engineered Solutions and Strike First to name a few. We carry the largest and most diverse inventory of fire protection products in the country.
