Originally protected by the Dartmouth Fire Department, the residents of Cole Harbour and Westphal (also known as Halifax County District 14) formed their own fire department in 1962. By 1996, the Westphal-Cole Harbour Fire Department was one of the larger ones in the county, with 28 full-time firefighters, 75 volunteers and two stations. That same year, it and the other fire departments of Halifax County were amalgamated to form the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service.