Hall of Flame

Museum of Firefighting

National Firefighting Hall of Heroes

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New Feature as of May 2005:   Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award winners for 1997, 1998, 1999 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 are listed on this site, including color photos and full citations.   Go to the  2003 Directory Page for hyperlinks to the winners for 2003, the 2002 Directory Page for winners for that year, the  2001 Directory Page for hyperlinks to winners for 2001, the  2000 Directory Page for hyperlinks to the 118 winners for 2000, the  1999 Directory Page for hyperlinks to the 85 winners for 1999,  the 1998 Directory Page for hyperlinks to the 124 winners for 1998 and the 1997 Directory Page for the 92 winners for 1997. 

On September 9, 2004 we dedicated a beautiful addition to the Hall of Heroes -- a full size beautifully decorated model of a quarter horse honoring the firefighters and policemen who died in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.  The horse has been donated to the Hall of Flame by a public arts project called The Trail of Painted Ponies.  The group has a beautiful web site at www.trailofpaintedponies.com  For additional information click here. Everyone is welcome to attend the dedication.  A picture of the horse, 9 feet high and 8 feet long, is shown below.  

American Firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1981 are recognized on the walls of the Hall of Heroes.  In December 2001 a special exhibit, including names, companies, and photographs, of the 343 FDNY firefighters who died in the line of duty was opened in the Hall of Heroes.

In October of 1998 we opened a new gallery at the Hall of Flame. This gallery is a new kind of exhibit for the Hall of Flame -- an exhibit that deals with the people who make up the American fire service.   All of the other exhibits describe the equipment used by firefighters.  The 3,500 square foot exhibit has three major purposes:

Museum President George Getz, his wife Dyan, and two of his children, Allison and Chip, welcome Senator McCain at the dedication of the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes in October of 1998.

A number of cities, states and other organizations recognize firefighters who have died in the line of duty. They are generally restricted to firefighters from that area, or firefighters who were members of the International Association of Firefighters, or are limited to firefighters who have died since a fairly recent date. A number of organizations also recognize firefighters who have been decorated for bravery, but again have regional restrictions. Those organizations that provide national awards have no mechanism for recognition beyond the first year of the award. In our National Firefighting Hall of Heroes exhibit we hope to remedy these deficiencies.

The Hall of Heroes makes full use of computer technology.

We have created a database of firefighters who have been recognized for bravery, both locally and nationally. There are no time restrictions. We welcome the submission of firefighters, but of course require verification in the form of a citation, magazine or newspaper article, official correspondence, or related materials. In addition to civilian firefighters, We plan to include military firefighters who have been decorated by their service branches for heroism at a fire.

The computer also contains the names of firefighters who have died in the line of duty, in all periods and in all parts of the United States. We welcome the submission of names, with documentation similar to that for firefighters who have been decorated for heroism. Visitors to the Hall of Heroes will be able to use the computer to call up the records of firefighters and to obtain printouts.  To date almost 9,000 firefighters are included in this database.

Exhibits in the Hall of Heroes also describe the social history of the American fire service.  We discuss the origins of the American volunteer and career structural firefighters, why they were attracted to the fire service, and how they organized to fight fires.  We also discuss the growth of the wildland fire fighting service in the United States.  Wildland firefighting covers a broad spectrum of organizations, from urban fire departments to the specialists of the federal and state forestry departments.  Most of the other exhibits at the hall of Flame talk about the technology of firefighting.  In the Hall of Heroes we talk about who the firefighters were.

If readers of this web site have suggestions or comments, please do so by sending an e-mail to Webmaster@hallofflame.org . if you wish to submit a firefighter for inclusion in the Hall of Heroes, please send the name and supporting materials to Dr. Peter Molloy at the museum's mailing address, 6101 East van Buren St., Phoenix, AZ 85008.  You can also send these materials by e-mail, including Photos in JPEG format.

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