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A group of Retired Firefighters will be acting as docents for the museum. Retirees Bob Field and George Salmon brought the idea to open the museum on Saturdays in addition to the normal weekday business hours to Bobby McGrath, President of the Indianapolis Retirees’ Club. They felt it was important to share the history of the fire department with the community, and they knew that a lot of retired firefighters had personal stories to share. Bob Field said, “It’s important for children to know the history of Indianapolis and the Fire Museum showcases a lot of that history.”

 

After Bob Field and George Salmon had presented the idea to President McGrath, they brought together a small group of active retirees. The group embraced the idea enthusiastically.  They quickly created a shift schedule, decided on hours of operation, committed to finding a way to keep admission free, and planned what housework they would need to do to keep the Fire Museum and the Marion County Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial clean and presentable. As George Salmon said, “It’ll be like being on the job again, only a little less dangerous.”

 

As the retirees walked through the museum after their meeting, they were reminded of life on the job. As they walk visitors through the museum, they will not only be able to explain the various types of trucks and equipment, but also offer personal stories on life in the Fire Service and experiences including the November 5, 1973, Grant Fire in downtown Indianapolis, the Halloween night Coliseum Explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in1963, and the Indianapolis Athletic Club Fire in February of 1992 where two firefighters and a civilian lost their lives.

 

Weekend hours will be sponsored by the Indianapolis Firefighters’ Emerald Society and the Indianapolis Firefighters’ Credit Union. Donations to support the Museum can be sent to: Indianapolis Firefighters Museum/Survive Alive at 748 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

 

The building, once Indianapolis Fire Station 2 (1872-1936), was purchased by the Indianapolis Firefighters Local 416 in 1984 and houses the Firefighters’ Museum, Survive Alive and the Headquarters for Local 416.  The museum opened to the public in 1996.  The Museum contains several antique pieces of equipment on loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, including a turn-of-the-century Steam Pumper, a 1775 Manual Hand Pumper from Oxford, England, and a 1921 Stutz Ladder Truck that first went into service at Station 27 in Indianapolis.  The Museum has previously been open to the public on weekdays, however, it wasn’t staffed with a full time docent.