Toledo Firefighters: History and Heroes

Caption:At Toledo Firefighters Museum with Elissa, Philip, Josh and Kyle. The museum is full of fabulous artifacts, memorabilia  and photos from 1837 to the present, a legacy to the courage of  firefighters here and all over the world.  Center left: all of us with Josh blowing an old brass horn, on a tour with retired Captain Nicely. Bottom row: Tribute to 9/11 firefighters named in American flag; photo of the 1920s brick firehouse that is now the Museum, showing horses pulling a fire wagon. Bottom right corner, iconic  photo of Mickey Mouse thanking a fireman.

Firetrucks used to be run by horses, very brave horses like "Tim," until the Model T took over in the early 1910s.  Large horns and fire bells sounded the alarms.  Getting water from nearby rivers or streams to fight fires was a major effort. Imagine the "bucket brigades"! Helmets evolved, from leather to aluminum, to a molded fiberglass, to sturdy plastic. So did hoses and ladders and other equipment. So did the uniforms and the different firetrucks themselves.  But one thing has remained the same: from the early days to today, firefighters are dedicated to putting out fires and saving lives.

The Toledo Firefighters Museums, 918 W. Sylvania Avenue, was started in 1976, America's bicentennial year, to honor the history and heroes of the Toledo Fire Division.  The old firehouse #18, brick and wood, with high ceilings, wood floors, and great beams, was turned into a museum that is chock full of  fire engines, ladders, helmets, plaques and badges, photos, vintage uniforms, antique fire toys, artwork and artifacts from the 1830s up to the present.   It also has a collection of  Daily Report Journals in its second floor library, formerly the firefighters' sleeping quarters, from every Toledo firehouse. Captain Nicely, a retired firefighter, took us on a wonderful tour of the museum, knowledgeable and fun, to the delight of grandsons Josh and Kyle and great-grandson Philip, with Gran E and me in tow.   It covers a 150 year history, from the volunteer "bucket brigades" to the modern well-trained and well-equipped firefighters of today

The kids loved the fire trucks, which included a horse-drawn steamer, a 1929 pumper truck, a 1936 Schacht  Service Ladder Truck, and a 1969 Willy's Fire Jeep. A dalmatian sat atop every one, the firefighters' ever-faithful dog. The equipment was fascinating, too. One truck held beautifully updated and polished ladders, a labor of love.  The kids also liked the "hands-on" experiences with horns, helmets, bells and alarms.  Elissa liked the antique memorabilia.  We were all amazed when Captain Nicely told us that firefighters can get into all their gear, which is substantial, from helmets to boots, in a minute or under!

The Toledo Firefighters Museum.  History and  heroes.  A great experience for kids of all ages, a tribute to the men and women who fight fires, go on life-threatening emergency runs, and risk their lives to save ours.

As we were leaving the Museum, I remembered the Toledo Firefighters' Pipes and Drums Corps, dressed in Scottish kilts, playing "Amazing Grace" at a  9/11 memorial service at Historic St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Haunting.  Evocative.  The memory and the Museum filled me with awe and gratitude. We join Mickey Mouse in thanking our firefighters.  .      

Another photo collage of our tour of the Toledo Firefights Museum
Saturday 20 April 2013

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