Hall of Flame
Museum of Firefighting
What's New at the Hall of Flame Page 1
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We have a special addition to the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes -- a memorial to the firefighters and policemen who lost their lives in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The exhibit is a beautifully decorated full size model of a quarter horse pony created by a public arts project called the Trail of Painted Ponies. The horse was on display at LaGuardia Airport in New York for two years. The project has donated the horse to the Hall of Flame and it will be on permanent display. The exhibit, 9 feet high and eight feet long, is depicted below.
For more information on the Trail of Painted Ponies, click on their web site here. Their URL is www.trailofpaintedponies.com.
The 62 Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award winners for 2003 are now posted on this web site. The site also includes the winners for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Are you a member of the Hall of Flame? All of our members at the Firefighting Professional, Black Helmet, Red Helmet, and White Helmet levels are now listed on a new Member Recognition Page.
Check out the Museum's new Wildland Firefighting Page. It has pictures and descriptions of our Wildland Firefighting Gallery which opened in August of 2003. It is also linked to an informative and thought provoking article by Wildland Firefighter Ray Kresek about the 2000 Wildfires in the Northwest. Although critical of the manner in which many of the fires were fought, Ray makes a number of achievable, practical suggestions for leaders of the U.S. Forest Service. Ray operates the Fire Lookout Museum in Spokane, Washington. He has recently opened a web site for the museum at http://www.firelookouts.com
This web site was extensively redone in May of 2005. Among the most important changes are:
 | Copies of the Hall of Flame's Newsletters for 2005 are now available on this site. To view the Newsletters go to the Home Page and click on the Newsletter titles, or go the the Table of Contents Page and click on Newsletter Page. |
| Photos and citations of the Firehouse Magazine Rescue Award winners for 1997, 1998,1999,2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The same information as that which appears on the walls of the Hall of Heroes Gallery. Almost 600 firefighters are recognized. Go to the Hall of Heroes Page to see these firefighters. |
| In December of 2001 we formally opened a permanent memorial exhibit to the 343 New York City firemen who died in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Almost a thousand people attended the dedication. Pictures of the ceremony and the exhibit are on the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes page. |
| Photos of almost all of the wheeled pieces in the exhibit. Go to the Hand and Horse Drawn Page or the Motorized Page to see these photos. |
| In 2003 the museum began to digitally restore a selection of high quality but damaged photographs from the archives. We have also begun to catalogue the thousands of photo negatives of Chicago fires taken by Chicago newspaper reporters over the years 1920 - 1984. Some of the restored photos as well as a sampling of Chicago scenes are displayed in the graphics page here: Graphic Objects |
| A new series of pages of photos and info about fire apparatus which we don't own but would sure like to own! Many of the photos were taken by Hall of Flame volunteer and ex-fire chief Jim Pearson. Others are from the museum's collections. |
| A new page describes the many education programs at the museum. Local teachers and parents: check out this page and schedule a tour! |
| The museum hosts many after hours receptions and dinners. If you are hosting an event in the Phoenix area, give us a call. Click on Rental of Galleries for After Hours Events for additional information. |
Fiesta Bowl Parade
Every year since 1977 the Hall of Flame provides one or more rigs in the Fiesta Bowl Parade. The Bowl Committee rides on the Hall's 1930 Ahrens-Fox Quad. Museum founder George Getz drove the Fox until 1990, when he delegated the job to his grandson, also named George Getz.
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George, wife Dyan, son Chip, and daughter Alison sit in the driver's seat as the Fiesta Bowl Committee members climb aboard the Quad. |
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decorated with beautiful flowers, the Quad is ready to roll down Central. |
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Boy scouts lead the way. |
National Firefighting Hall of Heroes
The Hall of Heroes opened on Saturday, October 24, 1998. Senator John McCain and Museum President George Getz formally opened the gallery. It contains photographs and citations for over 500 American firefighters on its walls, and honors over 1,500 firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1981, when reliable national records began. It also includes many exhibits on the history or urban and wildland firefighting. For more information about the Hall of Heroes click here.
Executive Director Peter Molloy and Museum President George Getz listen to Senator John McCain's remarks as he dedicates the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes. |
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New Wildland Firefighting Gallery
A new gallery opened to the public in August of 2003. We have added a new 2,000 square foot gallery adjacent to the Fire Safety exhibit that addresses this important aspect of firefighting. There are very few museums around the country that address the subject. The Smokejumper Museum in Missoula, Montana has an excellent exhibit, but it is not open year-round and concentrates on the Smoke Jumpers. The Forest Fire Lookout Museum in Spokane has by far the most extensive collection devoted to lookout cabins, including a beautiful L-4 lookout cab, but it, too, is open on a limited basis. To see some photos of the Wildland Firefighting Gallery, click: Wildland Firefighting Main Page
Recent Accessions and Restorations
1948 Mack Model 45 "District" Fire Engine
The Model 45 in Don Hale's shop in August 2004.
Museum volunteer Dick Stuve drives. Don Hale stands alongside.
1948 Mack in Gallery II
In April of 2004 we received an addition to our collection of Macks -- a Model 45 Fire engine built in 1948 for the city of Pierre, South Dakota. In 1939 Mack introduced the Model 45 as the largest of a new class of fire engines called the District Pumpers. Mack wanted to capture the branch of the fire department market that included small towns and volunteer fire departments unable to afford Mack's usual line of apparatus. The smallest District Pumper, the Model 25, mounted a 250 gpm pump on its front bumper. The Model 45 was by far the most popular District Pumper, and after World War II all District Pumpers except the Model 45 were discontinued. The 45 was a popular engine. Several hundred were sold until its discontinuation in 1949. All District Pumpers were equipped with an L head six cylinder engine built by Continental. Our engine is rated at 130 horse power, with a 500 gpm two stage pump, a 150 gallon booster tank, and a hose bed with a capacity of over 1000 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose. The rig has a 2 1/2 inch preconnect behind the hose bed. It also has a storage unit atop the booster tank that was used for a 200 foot length of pre-connected 2 1/2 inch line. It weighs in at about 10,000 pounds. After a long career in South Dakota the rig was sold to individuals in Arizona who used it to give rides to children at a local amusement park.
We are very grateful to the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania for providing a large amount of information about the rig.
The rig went on permanent exhibit in April 2005. It is fully restored to running condition.
1908 Anderson Coupling Company Chemical Engine, Ex - Phoenix FD
The Chemical Wagon before restoration
The wagon in June of 2005
In May Don hale began a complete restoration of one of the museum's chemical wagons - a 1908 engine that was used by the volunteers of Phoenix, Arizona from 1908 to 1914. The maker was the Anderson Coupling Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The company specialized in hose and hose couplings, but sold a range of other fire appliances. The copper chemical tanks are of the Champion style. The wagon looks very similar to those sold by the Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing Company of Chicago. It is possible that Anderson simply placed their manufacturer's plate on a FEMA machine. Where the wagon spent the years from 1914, when it was retired in favor of a couple of Seagrave chemical cars, to 1938, when it was purchased by a Phoenix firefighter, is unknown. Firefighter Simpson, who later became chief of the department, loaned it for use in parades. For a number of years he loaned it to Gene Autry's museum in Orange County, California. In 1969 his widow sold the wagon to museum founder George F. Getz, Jr. Mr. Getz had the rig refurbished, and it was displayed in that form at the Hall of Flame. The rig's historic value deserves a complete restoration, and Don Hale is well underway. We hope to place it back on exhibit in Autumn of 2005.
New Addition to Hall of Heroes 9/11 Memorial
The Phoenix Fire Department recently donated a piece of the World Trade Center to the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes. The fragment was presented to PFD Chief Alan Brunacini by the Retired FDNY Firefighters of Phoenix in recognition of the service performed by the PFD's Urban Search and Rescue Team at Ground Zero in September and October of 2001. Chief Brunacini thought it most appropriate to display the piece at the Hall of Flame. The piece is now on permanent exhibit in the Hall of Heroes, adjacent to the Memorial Pony, as well as panels honoring the firefighters, police, and Port Authority police who died on 9/11.
Museum Volunteer Donates Defibrillator to the Hall of Flame
Volunteer Richard Landon and his wife Marilyn recently donated a state of the art Philips Heart Start portable defibrillator to the museum for use in the event that anyone at the museum suffers cardiac arrest. Many public buildings are purchasing the defibrillators, which are quite expensive, which are designed to be used by untrained people to re-establish a victim's heart beat. Survival rates for victims who receive speedy defibrillation are much higher than those who receive only CPR prior to the arrival of paramedics. The Landons donated the defibrillator in the name of their nephew, David S. Bacon Jr. Mr. Bacon was a certified flight paramedic who died in the crash of a life flight helicopter in Spartansburg, South Carolina on July 13, 2004.
1955 Seagrave Quad
The Quad is on permanent exhibit in Gallery III.
In June of 1998 the Museum accepted the donation of a nicely restored Seagrave "Quad" fire engine from the fire department of Oak Lawn, Illinois. The rig is an "Anniversary" model, and was delivered to Oak Lawn in 1955. It has over 200 linear feet of aluminum ground ladders, a 500 gallon booster tank with two electrically powered booster reels, and a 1,500 gpm single stage centrifugal pump. Its hose tray can carry 1,500 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose. It was fully reconditioned in 1981, including a Cummins V-8 diesel engine matched to the original drive train. The department needed to free up space in its fire house for new equipment, and one of its assistant chiefs had visited the Hall of Flame and recommended it as a place to exhibit the rig. Hall of Flame volunteers Ron Deutsch and Ralph Glasmann flew to Oak Lawn to take formal delivery. The rig was driven in this year's Fiesta Bowl Parade, and will probably appear in the parade for many years to come.
1968 HCB Angus/ERF Pump-Escape
In August of 1998 we received an English fire engine built in 1968 by HCB/Angus on an ERF chassis. The rig belonged to the Nottinghampshire Fire Brigade and served the town of Retton for about twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Eichorn bought the rig and restored it mechanically. They donated it to the museum, and it came by ship to Port Hueneme, California, which is about 20 miles north of Long Beach. Museum Director Peter Molloy and volunteers Ron Deutsch and Dave Riley drove the rig from Port Hueneme to Phoenix. It has already appeared in several parades. Mr. Eichorn equipped the rig very well, and it is fully functional. Don Hale repainted the rig in late 1999. Its closed cab has room for six firefighters, and it has a 750 gpm single stage centrifugal pump. It is powered by a 6.5 liter Perkins V8 diesel engine. Most distinctive is it 55 foot Merryweather "Escape" ladder, which is rolled from the engine's rear and maneuvered into position.
On Exhibit in Gallery 3 after restoration by Don Hale
Executive Director Peter molloy with the ERF on the waterfront at Port Hueneme.
This rear view shows the 55 foot Merryweather escape.
1915 Robinson Fire Engine
In October of 1998 the Hall of Flame received a rare Robinson fire engine on loan from the town of Gila Bend, Arizona. The rig was bought from the St. Louis manufacturer in 1915 by the mining town of Globe, Arizona, and sold to Gila bend around 1940. After a few years it was retired and left in storage. Five years ago the firefighters of Gila Bend began its restoration, and the project was completed in 1997. It will be on loan to the Hall of Flame through 2000. It has a 1,000 gpm rotary pump and a large hose bed. It apparently did not have a chemical tank. It is powered by a 1,000 cubic inch six cylinder T-head engine. Only one other Robinson engine is known to be in existence. It is owned by the town of Staunton, Virginia, and has been fully restored.
1947 Seagrave Canopy Cab Fire Engine
In Early 1999 Museum Restorer Don Hale completed the restoration of a rig that ALCOA donated in 1982 -- a 1947 Seagrave canopy cab fire engine. It was owned originally by the volunteer fire department of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. Originally green, the Vandegrift volunteers painted it in a brown color scheme around 1960. It was sold a few year later to ALCOA, which used it as an industrial fire brigade truck in its plant near Pittsburgh. On its retirement the company shipped the rig to the museum as a donation. The rig is now restored with its original color and striping scheme. We were fortunate to obtain its Seagrave delivery photos from Seagrave historian Matt Lee. The rig is equipped with a single stage 750gpm rotary pump and a 350 gallon booster tank. The booster is sited below the large cab. Four firefighters can easily sit on the tank, and two can ride in the cab itself. The rig is engined with the small Seagrave V-12 gasoline engine. It is in excellent mechanical condition.
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1947 Seagrave with its brown paint job in Don Hale's shop. |
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Don stands on the engineeer panel side of the restored rig. |
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The passenger side. |
1969 Mack Model 600 CF Fire Engine
In June of 1999 Volunteers Ron Deutsch, Ralph Glasmann, Dave Riley and Dick Stuve flew to Chicago to take delivery of a 1969 Mack CF fire engine from the Calumet City, Illinois Fire Department. The rig is in excellent shape, and was extensively refurbished about 15 years ago.
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With Dick Stuve at the wheel, the Mack stops for a photo op at the Arizona State line. |
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The Mack arrived in good shape, with no mechanical problems during the 2,200 mile trip. |
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Dick Stuve demonstrates the 1,250 gpm pump. |
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From left to right: Ron Deutsch, Ralph Glasmann, Dave Riley and Dick Stuve pose with the Mack. The four volunteers drove the rig, with a chase car, from Calumet City, Illinois to the Museum. |
1905 Chief's Buggy
In 1957 Museum founder George F. Getz, Jr. purchased a hose wagon from a private individual in Michigan. The rig was purchased in 1909 by the Fire Department of Petosky, Michigan from the Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company of Columbus, Ohio. Sometime during the 1920s it was sold as surplus to a private individual, where it received indifferent treatment. Its condition did not permit its exhibit, so it was in storage until September of 1999, when it went into Don Hale's shop for restoration. Matt Lee's excellent books on Seagrave were a great help. Don also had the good experience of restoring a similar Seagrave wagon for the San Luis Obispo, California FD during the 1970s. The restored rig, complete with lanterns, ax, foot gong and fire extinguishers was placed on the floor in April of this year.
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Don Hale at work on the Seagrave ladder wagon. The running gear was original, but the upper chassis required a lot of rebuilding. |
On display in Gallery 1
Go to Page 2 of What's New
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