To trace the history of firefighting is to follow the changes in America itself. From bucket brigades and steam pumps to horse-drawn trucks and gas-powered firetrucks, firefighters have always been there to help save buildings, cities and people.
The Fire Museum of Maryland in Lutherville is a great place to follow that story as well as learn about fire safety and get an in-depth lesson in emergency communications.
The Fire Museum has been open since 1971. The collection of more than 40 pieces of equipment mostly chronicles the time from 1806 to 1957.
“We use our collection to teach people why and how a piece of apparatus was developed, who made them and who used them,” says Stephen Heaver, the museum’s director and curator. “All of these pieces have stories to tell.”
The scanner for the Baltimore County Fire Department plays over a loudspeaker in the warehouse that houses the museum, giving visitors the feeling they are part of the action at a real firehouse.
Visitors are encouraged to grab an audio tour device and headphones to hear narration and historical re-enactments as they peruse the collection. There also are short videos set up at various points to explain important eras and inventions in firefighting.
The main collection is divided into three sections. The first shows the manpower that went into fighting fires in early America. In Colonial times, everyone was a firefighter, as citizens were required to have leather buckets in their homes and participate in bucket brigades. The 1806 invention of the hand pump was a vast improvement.
“It was an 1800s version of a Super Soaker, the audio tour explains. Several examples of hand pumps are on display. Other changes from those times include stronger copper-riveted hoses, hydrants and suction pumps.
The next section takes visitors from the late 1800s through World War I, a period when sophisticated hand carts and the innovation of the steam engine pump helped modernize the profession. Horses also were used increasingly to pull equipment, and many examples of horse-drawn machinery are on display.
A short film shows the drama of horses leaving the station. The film explains that firemen were reluctant to use horses for firefighting at first, but with more ground to cover as cities grew in size, three horses could replace the dozens of men it took to get equipment to a fire.
The last section shows equipment from about the 1920s onward. Obviously, the use of gas-powered engines modernized fire squads everywhere. On display are a 1917 Model T truck and an 85-foot 1918 Mack tractor truck, among others.
The Fire Museum of Maryland has a huge archive related to the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. The exhibit chronicles the fire, which raged on Feb. 7 and 8, through pictures, timelines, uniforms from the era, maps and artifacts. There is the front page from the Baltimore News the day after the disaster as well as a film about the fire playing on a large screen in a special gallery in the rear of the museum.
The fire, which originated in the basement of the John E. Hurst & Co. Dry Goods warehouse, consumed more than 1,500 structures and more than 140 acres in the downtown business district. Thirty-five thousand people were temporarily jobless, but there was only one fatality.
The exhibits and film explain how the fire helped modernize and standardize emergency procedures and firefighting systems with changes such as more manpower, strategically placed firehouses and better pumping capability.
The museum has a large display showing how emergency response systems generally worked until the latter part of the 20th century. A bystander would pull the alarm on a red fire alarm box. A ticker tape would identify the box’s location, then a call would go out to all firehouses. Squads would look on an index card to see if their house would answer the call.
In this age of satellite and wireless technology, the system seems antiquated. However, museum volunteer Curt Elie points out that the system worked well. The location of the firebox was always known, and the person calling the department didn’t need to know the phone number or speak English to make the call, he says.
On a more fun note, there are displays of toy and model firetrucks and Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers honoring firefighters and firehouse dogs.
A discovery room has lots of hands-on activities for young visitors, including fire department boots, jackets and hats for all sizes to try on. Fire safety books and puzzles are available as well as a big fleet of toy firetrucks. There is a full-size 1930s firetruck, the only piece of equipment on which visitors are allowed — even encouraged — to climb.
Sitting in the driver’s seat appeals to young and old, says Rick Bray, the museum’s education director.
“On Saturdays, more likely than not, you will see a dad sitting at the wheel,” he says.
WHEN YOU GO:
Location: The Fire Museum of Maryland is at 1301 York Road in Lutherville.
Directions: From the Beltway, take Interstate 95 north to Interstate 695 (Baltimore Beltway) toward Towson. Take Exit 26B. Turn right at the third light onto Greenridge Road. The museum is the second driveway on the left.
Hours: From June through August, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; from September through December and May, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed from January through April.
Parking: Free parking in lot.
Admission: Adults, $8; firefighters, $7; seniors older than 62, $7; children ages 2 to 12, $4; children younger than 2, free. Memberships and group rates are available.
More information: 410/321-7500 or www.firemuseummd.org
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