I happened to be downtown the other day for a meeting and decided to drop in on the Fire Museum. I ditched my car in a nearby garage as parking on the street was scarce. The museum is easy to find because of its catchy signage of a Dalmatian wearing a fire hat. My youngest son had gone there for a school trip years ago when he was in grade school and loved it.
The Fire Museum is located in a charming retrofitted vintage fire station. This museum is quite small and very focused in its displays with no space for visiting exhibits or expansion. The first floors have the “exciting” larger exhibits of antique fire engines - do not touch, an antique collection of fire engine toys, and a history of local fire fighting. The second floors are devoted to fire safety/prevention awareness and paying homage to local firemen of the past. There was a slide pole but alas it was not open to the public (a lawsuit waiting to happen?). Even the Children’s Museum had a large fire truck that kids could climb all over but this did not appear to be the case here.
While five year old boys will be enthralled by the glamorous huge fire engines, the museum also focuses on practical fire safety tips. This fire safety lesson is conveyed in a fun multi-sensory way that should appeal to school age children. The building has high ceilings and a huge echo factor that are probably a joy when it fills up with marauding school children. There is a stuffed horse a la Mr. Ed that repetitively says the same thing over and over.
While I was there (Friday, mid-morning), there were only a few grandparents with little kids in tow. The guard told me that much to my luck, I had just missed a school trip.
Recommendation: Boys under 7 who dream of growing up to be a fireman, school trips, and people who’s grandpa fought the great fire of 1954.
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