If you visit the Hall of Flame Museum, you might agree that it is the best museum ever. It is mind-blowing how much firefighting history is all in one place and right here in Phoenix.
The museum is close to Papago Park and the Phoenix Zoo, making it super convenient when planning your adventure. The museum is full of history, and there is something for everyone to see and (in some cases) touch. They have exhibits for fire alarm systems, fire marks, fire helmets, fire extinguishers, and horse-drawn and motorized fire equipment. Their oldest piece is from 1725 and goes up to modern technology.
The best news is you can spend hours looking at all of the exhibits and learn and find your favorite. My favorite is a French pumper that is horse-drawn. Horses operate the pump by going around the pumper in circles. I never knew something like this existed. It is interesting to see as you go from one room to the next and see the exhibits how firefighting technology has changed over the years.
Each room represents a different year range of technology. The first room you enter after going through the gift shop and paying your admission fee is Gallery 1. Gallery 1 is for 1800 and 1900-century horse-drawn pumpers, with rows and rows of historical pumpers to look at and enjoy. You will find the French pumper I talked about above.
Gallery 2 contains firefighting equipment from the first half of the 20th century, including the 1924 American La France pumper. This pumper was a Christmas gift to George Getz Jr. from his wife in 1955. It was the beginning of collecting fire equipment and starting the museum.
Gallery 3 includes vehicles that are more recent but equally impressive. I understand the staff will sometimes take a fire truck from this collection and start them up for parades and special occasions. I will have to find out when they do that and go back because it would be awe-inspiring to see.
In gallery four, you will find the Hall of Heroes. The gallery is a solemn exhibit about the firefighters that have lost their lives in the line of duty. I can only hope that the progression of equipment we see in the museum is keeping the firefighters safer.
The museum is for anybody that enjoys firefighting or just seeing the history of the equipment. Take the family down and check out the museum. You can find out the times and cost here. It really is a fantastic museum and a real asset to Phoenix.
Have you been to the Hall of Flame? Please comment below and let me know if you enjoyed the museum and what you thought about it.
Hall of Flame Fire Museum
6101 E Van Buren St
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(602) 275-3473
