When I was planning this visit to New York State
The directions on the website were
very clear, so it was easy to locate the FASNY Museum of Firefighting (which
was located right next the Volunteer Fireman’s Home). The Museum is located behind the Home, so
you’ll want to park in the far rear of the lot.
The front entrance of the Museum also provided another good photo
opportunity.
When we were paying for the
admission, we commented Dad was a retired volunteer firefighter. This was
done strictly as a conversational piece, and I’m sure the museum likes to get
feedback from those firefighters who visit. The gentleman at the entrance
commented that because Dad was a retired firefighter his admission was
free. We did note that Dad wasn’t an
official member of FASNY, and the gentleman said that was okay. Thank you
very much, as that made a nice start to the visit.
The first portion of the museum was
filled with many trucks which had been used by various firefighting
departments. While there were a few from the early portions of the 20th
Century, most of the vehicles were from the 1940s through 1960s. Mum
wanted to get a picture of Dad standing next to one of the earlier models.
She chose the 1942 model (which was built by General Fire Truck
Corporation in Detroit ),
which was appropriate as Dad was born in late 1941. Mum said she wanted to take a picture of an
old fireman standing next to an old fire truck. Now do you see where I
get my twisted humor from?
Fire trucks have generally been
red, in order to make them stand out from other vehicles. And while many
of the vehicles here were from various parts of New York State
There was a display of various
patches from fire departments all over the state, the country, and the world.
Dad’s company (J.A. Barkley Hose Company, Argyle, NY) didn’t have a patch
there, but he grabbed a special envelope which was available so he could send
one in later. I looked on the national section, and didn’t see one for
any Austin or Round Rock companies. If I knew someone at one of those
companies, I would’ve grabbed an envelope for them. I did like the patch
for Key Largo FD.
The international patches were
mostly from Ireland and Germany , with a
sprinkling of other European countries. It was interesting to see they
had similar designs. NASA and the military fire units also had their own
too. Just never considered those even existed.
The second of the four sections had
a lot of items from the early history of firefighting. That’s “early” as
in information about the first fire brigades in Imperial Rome, and through to
the American Colonial period.
During those periods it talked about
the men who would rush to a site dragging a wagon with water and buckets, some
early forms of hose pumps, and rescue ladders.
Part of the history showed how as
the fire wagons got more and more complex, they got heavier. Quite often
the firefighters who ran to the scene pulling their wagon were too exhausted to
even battle the blaze. The steam-powered water pumps provided an
effective means to combat large fires, or those on upper stories, but became
almost impossible to be gotten to the fire in a timely manner.
At that point fire departments
started getting horses to pull the wagons. That was a significant
improvement, as the firefighters could arrive on the scene ready for
action. It took a lot of training to get
the horses adapted to this, as they had to learn not to panic at the sight of a
burning building. This also increased the range a department could cover,
and reduced the response time.
This also had information on the
evolution of the turnout gear (coats, boots, hat, etc.) worn as fire
protection. Over the last couple hundred years while the styles have
changed, the basic structure has remained constant.
There was also a small display how
the Dalmatian became the standard “fire dog.”
Because the breed is naturally a guardian dog, and was friendly with
horses, the Dalmatians would run along the horse-drawn fire carts to help clear
the way. Even though the use of horses
in pulling equipment is long gone, the tradition of keeping these dogs as
mascots continues.
The third section has a little bit
of remodeling going on, but this had a lot more hands-on activities for the
younger audience. Information on how to “Stop, Drop, and Roll” were
presented by a cartoon fire dog, as well as other ways to teach fire safety to
children. One of the things in the process of being constructed would be
a “play house” so kids could practice how to locate the safe exits.
This area also had some information
on the history of the Volunteer Fireman’s Home, as well as commemoratives on
those who’ve died in the line of duty The glass and granite monument to
FDNY members lost on 9/11 was nicely done, and was gifted by the Lake George
(NY) Fire Department.
Entering into the final section,
there were some old prints of firefighters which you weren’t allowed to take
pictures of. There were some more recent model trucks which you could get
inside. Of course we’re going to play on these.
Mum pointed out the fire ranger’s
truck, which was similar to one I got to ride on back in the early 1990’s when
I got to dress up as Smokey the Bear during the local parades. That was
fun, as all I had to do was wave at the crowds and toss candy out, but that
suit was freakin’ hot (especially in the summer). Somewhere Mum has at
least one picture of my wearing it, and flashing the “Ronnie James Dio horns”
hand gesture (which most Texans would recognize as also being the symbol for
the University of Texas at Austin
sports teams.
Dad and I climbed in one of the
other trucks, which had a video monitor in front of it, which gave an idea of
what it was like driving through traffic when responding to a call. It
was more of a photo opportunity than an actual simulation, but we still had fun
with it.
This was a great visit, and a real
gem of a find. Dad wasn’t sure if anyone in his department had been down
here or not, but it was something he’d recommend to them. While certainly informative for the general
public, those who are associated with any fire department will enjoy seeing the
historical aspects of the displays. This was well-worth the drive.
Note as the Volunteer Fireman’s Home is more of a retirement
facility, it’s not a place which can be entered for touring purposes. The
grounds around the area are nice spacious, but there’s no other monuments or
statues present to see.
For more information on the places visited or mentioned:
Volunteer Fireman’s Home: http://www.firemenshome.com/
FASNY: http://www.fasny.com/
J.A. Barkley Hose Company (Argyle,
NY): http://argyle-fire.com/
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