Fire Museum of Maryland

The mission of the Fire Museum of Maryland is to â  collect, preserve, display and interpret historically significant apparatus and related artifacts, memorabilia and records of the fire service of the United States, and to educate the public about the history, people, equipment and techniques of the fire service, and about fire prevention and safety.â Â

The Fire Museum of Maryland opened in 1971 as a private, non-profit corporation. It ranks as one of the finest fire fighting museums in the United States, and displays apparatus from 1807 to 1957. Over fifty rigs are on display, and are complemented by a broad range of special exhibits, including the centennial of â  The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904â  . These include a working fire alarm telegraph system, badge and uniform displays, displays on fire prevention and technology, including Baltimoreâ  s High Pressure Pumping System. The Museum strives to instruct and educate children about fire safety, and to teach them how they can help their families develop their own in-home evacuation plan. Staff work closely with Baltimore City and County school systems to design a number of programs to compliment classroom learning objectives by focusing on the role of the fire-fighters in communities from Colonial Days to the present. The causes and effects of fires in these changing communities are also discussed. Students explore the history of fire fighting, and discover how fire fighting and communications technology has advanced throughout the decades. Discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on activities introduce students to fire safety knowledge. The Museum also has a large research facility and library, that contains fire department archival and photographic materials, apparatus catalogs and other information used by researchers.