Hall of Flame

Museum of Firefighting

Who We Are

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George F. Getz, Jr. founded the Hall of Flame in 1961. He organized the National Historical Fire Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non profit organization to promote the programs of a museum which he named the Hall of Flame. Mr. Getz began to collect fire apparatus after the Christmas 1955 present of a 1924 American la France fire engine from his wife, Olive Atwater Getz. The couple  were fascinated by the rig, and Mr. Getz began to collect apparatus of all types from all over the world.

The Hall of Flame, Phoenix, Arizona

In 1961 the collection was large enough for exhibit in a small museum in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, near the Getz summer home. A few years later the Hall of Flame moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where it remained until 1970. In that year the Getz family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mr. Getz decided to move the Hall of Flame as well. In 1974 the Hall of Flame opened its present building in Phoenix's Papago Park, adjacent to the Phoenix Zoo and Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Hall has grown from its original single gallery to six exhibit galleries, a library, store, theater, restoration shop, darkroom, storage galleries, and administrative offices. The Hall's present size is 50,000 square feet, with 35,000 square feet of exhibit galleries. The collection has grown to over 130 wheeled pieces, thousands of smaller artifacts, and a library with over 6,000 holdings and over 50,000 graphics. For additional information on the collection, please see our Collections page.

Mr. Getz died in 1992.  His grandson, George F. Getz, was elected to the presidency of the foundation.  Mr. Getz' son Bert, his grandson Bert, and his granddaughter Lynn are also members of the foundation's board of trustees. The Getz family strongly supports the goals of the Foundation, which are three:  The collection, preservation and exhibit of objects relating to the history of firefighting;  fire safety education; and the recognition of firefighters who have died in the line of duty or who have been recognized for acts of heroism.

The galleries contain a wide variety of exhibits, including fire apparatus, artwork, uniforms and equipment, firemarks, alarm room equipment, and a large fire safety exhibit which includes a two room safety house, a mini-theater, and many hands-on exhibits for children. The museum has a theater with seating for 40 visitors that is equipped with a multi-media projector and stereo sound. Visitors can see videos relating to firefighting. The museum has created a ten minute video that introduces visitors to the exhibits. For additional information on our exhibits, please see our Exhibits page.

In 1998 the museum opened a new gallery titled the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes. In this gallery we honor American firefighters who have received a national award for heroism, and we also recognize American firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The gallery contains a variety of exhibits which describe the social history of firefighting -- the volunteers, career firefighters, wildland firefighters, and paramedics. For more information on the Hall of Heroes, see our Hall of Heroes page.

By the end of 2002 we will be opening a new 2,000 square foot gallery that will tell the story of wildland firefighting.  The exhibit will include a fire lookout and exhibits related to the smokejumpers, helitacks, hot shots and Class I crews that make up modern wildland firefighting crews in the United States.

The Hall has a membership of over 500 individuals, fire departments, and companies, who receive a wide variety of benefits in exchange for their membership fees. Please see the Membership Page on this site. We also have an active group of volunteers who involve themselves in virtually every aspect of our operations. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, see the Volunteer page.

Last year the Hall of Flame was visited by over 35,000 visitors, about 10% of whom were firefighters. Over half of our visitors are schoolchildren participating in workshops or fire safety school tours. For information on the museum's hours and location, see the Hours & Location page.

Please request additional information by e-mail to Webmaster@Hallofflame.org

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