Winter Walsh Wandering: Hall of Flame Fire Museum, Phoenix, Az

This inspiring museum contains the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes and four galleries of historical Hand and Horse Drawn Apparatus, and modern Motorized Apparatus.

I am glad to see this museum has dedicated so much space to the brave firefighters who have died trying to protect people, property and the environment.

In the Hall of Heroes we found Wayne Luecht's name. He was a wonderful friend of Jenne and Craig's from our Savior Free Church in Wheeling. He helped with the church and reception set up for their wedding. He was one of two firemen who died as a result of an electrical fire at Northbrook

Shopping Center

Hand and Horse Drawn Fire Engines

This is the oldest fire engine in the museum. 1725. A crew of 20 worked the handles and its foot treadle to pump about 60 gallons of water a minute through the nozzle.

Japanese fire uniform

Water supplied by buckets. It is hard to see how this is supposed to work. See the picture below

This 1750 apparatus belonged to the fire brigade for Lord Leconfield in Sussex. Ouput was 25 gallons per minute

Brigades avoided using horses to pull these due to the cost, upkeep, and training. Imagine how many of these black buckets it would take to get any amount of water on the fire.

This 1844 Rhode Island Fire engine two sets of pump handles were manned by 50 firemen and could pump over 250 gallons per minute. It was modified to be pulled by horses. It also demonstrates how much decoration was added. There are painting on each side of the column in the middle. There was 6 layers of white paint obscuring the paintings. Volunteers lovingly restore these old engines.

This 1870 Hand Drawn Parade Carriage was built as source of pride for the firemen of the Hotchkiss Hose Company of Derby, Connecticut. It has no purpose beyond its elegance and beauty,

This well decorated apparatus has a horse whip

And brakes for the wheels

This is a pump that could be worked by 2 men. It was for use at an estate or a factory

A crew of 50 men pulled this rig to the fire. It could pump 200 gallons per minute.

This is a mural painted on the wall illustrating how fire boats put out fires on ships.

What a wonderful reception desk!!

Firemen versus policemen chess set

There were 2 large wall displays with firemen helmets from all over the world.

These are horns that fire chiefs would yell into to direct the fighting of the fire.

This describes the fire fighter on the left

This describers the fire fighter uniform on the right.

The Pirsch Fire Engine Company was located in Kenosha, WI until it was bought by the Oshkosh Fire Engine Company.

Downer's Grove

I took a picture of this large white trampoline looking thing that is actually called a safety net.

It took 3 pictures to capture the length of this long snorkel pump. If Zion had this fire engine in 1959, it might have saved the 7 story College Building which burned because there was no way to get water to the upper stories.

Jim got to pretend drive this one.

Braleys Escape Ladder 1930 from England

Pung Fire Sleigh. Pung is the Algonquin word for sled. A blacksmith converted a Studebaker wagon into this hose, ladder, and fire fighting equipment carrier for the fire fighters of Negaunee on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Oshkosh. Fire engine from Wisconsin and Illinois are well represented.

1890 English Steam Pumper

Built for the farm town of Paxton, Illinois, This "junior" pumper can pump 350 gallons per minute.

The Walsh Family Reunion in 2007 had to evacuate our rented house due to a horrible forest fire in Lake Tahoe. The sky above us was full of these planes trying to put out the flames. Many homes were lost but no one died.