Long Beach Firefighter's Museum
Introduction
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Images
Fire fighting vehicles on display within the museum.
Vehicles on display in the museum's parking lot.
Vintage fire fighting helmets on display.
Firefighters and vintage vehicles participating in a local parade
Backstory and Context
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The museum began back in 1980 with the creation of the Long Beach Fireman’s Historical Society which was given permission to use old fire station #10 for the restoration of antique fire equipment. The building eventually became home to the museum which started with only a single vehicle and a few borrowed tools. It has since grown to include many vehicles and numerous pieces of equipment that trace the evolution of the department from its rudimentary beginnings to present day.
The collection includes some of the leather buckets that were required in every home prior to the formal creation of a fire department. Among the fire fighting vehicles on display are ten used from 1901 (a hand-pulled hose cart) to 1965 (a Mack fire truck). The museum also displays an 1890 Rumsey hand-pulled ladder, a 1907 Amos Keag Steam Engine, a 1926 Ahrens-Fox Pumper Truck, a 1935 GMC panel first aid truck, and a 1955 Cadillac ambulance.
The museum permits its equipment to be used in various parades, welcomes students for guided tours, and allows its visitors to touch and actually climb into some of its vehicles. Finally, don’t forget to ask about Sam the cat who actually slid down a 20-foot fire pole.