| In Phoenix we found the 'Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting'
http://www.hallofflame.org an
extensive and very well presented collection of vehicles and apparatus used
since the days of the bucket, originally the collection of one man, and all
beautifully restored.
This is
the earliest fire fighting machine in their collection, the Newsham Manual Fire Engine
from England built in 1725. It pumped 60 gallons per minute and was worked by handles and
foot treadles by 20 men. This one spent its working life in northern
England. |  |
 | This is a Pirsch
Horse Drawn City Service Ladder from 1908. It was built by Peter Pirsch of
Kenosha, Wisconsin for the nearby city of West Allis. It was restored by Don
Hale at this museum in 2000. |
| The Rumsey Hand Drawn Pumper, from 1880, was used by
volunteers in Rockland, Maine and would pump 40 gallons per minute. It was used for
over 30 years. |  |
 | This
ethereal-looking creation is the Buckley & Merritt
Hand Drawn Parade Carriage 1870. It had no purpose except to boost
image at parades. It was built by Hotchkiss Hose Co of Derby, Connecticut. |
| The Studebaker 'Pung' Fire Sleigh 1890 was built by a blacksmith named Chevrette
for Negaunee on the upper peninsula of Michigan - where they have a lot of
snow in winter! |  |
 | Champion/Christie
Water Tower 1897-1915. This was originally horse drawn but had the engine
added (at the rear) later. It was used in Toledo, Ohio. The idea was good but
the power to really make it work wasn't available until the 1960s. |
| Mack/Holloway Ladder and Chemical Truck 1922. After WWI this
1919 Mack Bulldog truck was matched with an 1886 horse-drawn ladder wagon.
It remained in service in Baltimore until 1952. |  |
 | Robinson Fire
Engine 1911-19. This engine was originally owned by the town of Globe, Arizona,
and later by Gila Bend, Arizona, where it remained in service until 1960. |
| This is an Ahrens Fox 'Quad' from 1930. It was built for the
village of River Forest, Illinois, and was in service until 1960. It was
called a 'Quad' because it had four capablities, 1000gallons per minute pump,
water storage, 200ft of ladders and 1000ft of hose. Most engines only had three,
usually missing the ladders. |  |
 | American La France
Model 400 built for the town of Norfolk, Nebraska in 1935. This was La
France's largest engine with a 250hp V-12 and a 1250gpm pump behind the
engine (hence the very long bonnet). Only about 170 were ever built because they were so expensive.
Denver was the first to paint its engines white and many nearby towns
then followed suit. |
| ERF/HCB Angus Pump Escape 1968 from Retford, Nottinghamshire.
This was a classic English fire engine with over 6500 built. This one
retired in 1980 but some are still in use. |  |
 | This American La France
Aerial Model 700 Ladder Truck, built in 1955, was used by Baldwin, New York volunteers.
Later it was used by Lynnfield, Mass. It gave 45 years of front line
service. It has a 75ft ladder with a 2.5" pipe to the top to spray the fire
with water from above. |
| The costume of a modern firefighter. They also have costumes for
earlier generations and for bush firefighters, a breed which we do not have
but is very necessary here. |  |
 | Badges such as
these were
affixed to buildings to show which ones were insured and by which company. The
museum has collections from several countries. Many of the English names are
familiar as forerunners of our current insurance companies. |
|