Bob Noll: Oklahoma Firefighters Museum Archivist
Gene Brown: Firefighters Museum Director
Hello Everyone! The year 2021 was a real trial Another year has come and gone. for a lot of us in the fire service Here at the museum, we have and for our families. However, for had a good year. the Oklahoma State Firefighter’s The biggest thing is the new 60Museum, 2021 was a terrific year. foot X 120-foot shop. It will house Some of the highlights are listed some of our trucks to allow room for Ret. The Village FD here for your review and comment. our public education area. Staff has continued to work on the We have the shop dried in. We are Seagrave Suburbanite pumper that was working on getting it wired for lights and Ret. Yukon FD donated to us by the Hollis FD. A hose basket was fabgetting the plumbing in. We have to run the sewer, water ricated and installed, the motor received its final tweakand gas. ing, peripheral items such as the gasoline tank was reinstalled and work The drive will come soon after. This is a very big step continues on the wheels. Brendon Pierce has been a notable contributor of forward for your museum. Our goal is to have it up and his skill and knowledge for this project. running this spring. Many items in the museum whose provenance was vague have been We are still working on the Hollis and Stuart trucks. Both identified. They have been marked with the current accession number sysare coming along very well. tem, photographed, and the vertical file either updated or created. Vague This past year, we were able to share our pictures with description of an item, lack of numbering and cloudy provenance remain the Oklahoma Historical Society. It will allow all of our a daily problem. pictures to be searchable on the internet. The pictures have Staff members have spent numerous hours organizing and docubeen processed and are being loaded to the web. menting the fire helmets in the collection. The display in the North Hall All OSFA newspapers will be available, also. This should has been revitalized and is very impressive. Greg Roberts was “Incident be completed soon. This has taken a lot of work, but it will Command” on that project. Greg also continues to be involved in the be worth the wait. museum’s photo collection. The museum gift shop has been expanded and has more The gift shop area in the Main Hall has been rearranged, and the invenitems for sale. We are working hard to enhance your expetory there has increased dramatically. A ton of credit should go to muserience. um staffer Lance Gill for his work there. Lance is also a great researcher We have one of the finest museums in the country. We and has proved to be invaluable in gathering information. also have the best memorial in the country. We should be receiving a grant from the Oklahoma History Center Please make time to visit the museum and memorial. sometime this month (January 2022). The prime mover on this effort is Thank all of you for your support. Stay safe, Come see us! Andi Hernandez who is currently on leave pursuing a career goal in a parallel field. We expect her successful completion and return the first tell you where it went from there to the present. Prior to that, quarter of 2022. we don’t know. If anyone knows, please contact me. The museum’s intake -- that is the items that come in as donations The museum continues to enjoy extraordinary support -- was the best ever. The total number of donated items was 89. This was from the approximately 950 fire departments in the State Of almost double the previous year’s activity. Oklahoma and many, many A private collector donated retirees. We can’t say “Thank several parts of the city of OkYou” loud enough or often On Display at Oklahoma Firefighters Museum mulgee’s fire alarm telegraph enough for your support. system. The four circuit power I would be remiss if I didn’t board with case, a fire alarm The Oklahoma State Firefighters met from your department, please mention Museum Director Gene transmitter, a 15-inch gong, Museum is currently upgrading its drop it off at the museum. Brown. We’d be nowhere near several battery jars, several fire helmet collection, and many OklaThe helmet needs to be in good where we are today without his alarm box movements, a 1-inch homa fire departments have helmets condition and should have the continued support, encouragetape register and a working on display. department name displayed on the ment and his unselfish use of traffic light were accessioned. If you would like to donate a heloutside of the helmet. his numerous talents. Another donor sent us his One final note ... One of the complete set of rappelling gear. many things we try to do at This included ropes, harnesses, the museum is to serve as a Prussic cord, carabiners, and Los Angeles leather helmet resource for fire service memonumerous other related items. (circa 1930s-1940s) rabilia and apparatus collectors. At least one item remains an Please contact us if you have enigma. The Beaumont FD muany questions or need some seum in Beaumont, Texas, has information. Not saying we a hand pumper that allegedly have all the answers, but our served somewhere in OklahoTulsa Helmet (circa 1960s) museum has a great network of ma or in Oklahoma Territory. other private collectors and fire We’ve traced the hand pumper service museums throughout to a Norman, OK, fire station the country. We’ll try to help in approximately 1955. We can you if we can. Oklahoma FirefighterFebruary/March/April 2022 17
