The Western Reserve Fire Museum and Education Center

What began as a group of 12 fire "buffs" in 1972 with the long term goal of creating a fire museum is now a full-blown reality. The Western Reserve Fire Museum and Education Center opened in 2017 in a completely refurbushed and renovated Cleveland Fire Station No. 28, which also served as a Fire Alarm Dispatch Center.

Many people will notice the words Western Reserve used widely throughout Northeast Ohio in place names and businesses and whether you are from the area or not, some do not know why. Approximately 3.3 million acres of land bordered by Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the East, extending west almost to Sandusky Bay and encompassing what is now Medina County to the south.. The northeast portion of (what is now) Ohio was a 1662 royal charter claimed by Connecticut and called the Connecticut Western Reserve. The Western Reserve Fire Museum is located in downtown Cleveland in an old Cleveland fire station, but the museum's "Mission is to include all of the twelve counties of the Lands of the Western Reserve, which includes: Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Cuyahoga, Summit, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Ashtabula, Trumbull, & Mahoning" (wrfmc.com).

In 1972, twelve people with an interest in firefighting, fire history, and fire apparatus got together and established the Western Reserve Fire Buffs Association (WRFBA). The group hosted programs and events in the community with hopes of one day creating a museum in Northeast Ohio. The WRFBA became a member of the International Fire Buffs Association (IFBA) and in 1992, hosted an IFBA convention that drew over 300 attendees from across the US. The monetary profits from this event allowed the WRFBA to begin planning for a future museum.

In 1998, the group gained non-profit status in the State of Ohio and changed the name to the Western Reserve Fire Museum at Cleveland, Inc.(WRFM). The name was chosen to include the objective of the original group to include all of the communities within the boundaries of the old Western Reserve of Connecticut in the project. Then, in 2002, Cleveland Fire Station No. 28 and the Fire Alarm Dispatch center closed and city leaders along with the Fire Chief urged WRFM to make a proposal to the city to acquire the building. One year later, a long-term lease agreement was reached, but the museum would be responsible for all repairs and renovations. In addition to cosmetic and structural improvements, the building would need to be made ADA compliant, all of which was estimated to cost $3 million. Cleveland firefighters as well as firefighters from throughout the Western Reserve responded by setting up a payroll deduction program for donations and some offered their time and trade skills to help.

After years of fundraising and construction, the Western Reserve Fire Museum's first floor exhibit spaces opened in 2017. There is an apparatus bay where the museum hosts annual rotating exhibits as well as housing displays of the history of firefighting, including a working Gamewell fire alarm box. There is a Kid's Korner where children can dress up in fire gear, color, read, and play and the museum offers fire safety and emergency preparedness programs for all ages. In the Fall of 2022, the musum's second floor event space is slated to open, offering spectacular views of the Cleveland skyline from a point of view rarely seen!

Case Western Reserve University. Western Reserve, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Accessed July 29th, 2022. https://case.edu/ech/articles/w/western-reserve.

Western Reserve Fire Museum. The Western Reserve Fire Museum & Education Center. Accessed July 29th, 2022. https://wrfmc.com/.

O, Scott. Fire Museum, Tours of Cleveland, LLC. August 15th, 2020. Accessed July 29th, 2022. https://toursofcleveland.com/fire-museum/.