One of my friends has a thing for men in uniform. She’s met some hot firefighter friends throughout the years, so I decided to check out the New York City Fire Museum this afternoon, hoping to meet some of my own eye candy.
The Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) is the largest fire department in the United States and has been around since 1648. As a journalist, it’s important to have an understanding of this organization’s connection with the city. The Museum preserves materials from the history of firefighting in New York. It is located in a renovated 1904 firehouse at 278 Spring Street, between Hudson and Varick Streets in SoHo.
I was surprised when I walked into an empty museum, apart from the three couples there besides myself and a few of the Museum’s staff coming in and out.
You first walk into a small, hokey gift shop with FDNY T-shirts, toys and coffee mugs. There is also a wooden box for a $5 suggested donation (but you don't have to pay if you don't want to.) Guided tours, led by members of the FDNY’s Education unit, are available to groups with a minimum of 10 individuals.
The experience does get better as you wander through two floors of pretty remarkable collections, including a tribute to 9/11.
There is a large, main room on the first floor with fire-related artifacts from the late 18th century to the present. You can find several large engines in this room, including a horse-drawn buggy that was used before fire trucks to reach fires.
A hour-long video gives you an idea of what it is like to be a firefighter. I didn’t watch the whole thing, but I still got the impression that members of the FDNY are devoted to their jobs.
I was interested in seeing the September 11 Memorial after visiting the Tribute WTC Visitor Center with my journalism class. The Museum’s two-room exhibit focuses on the firefighters that lost their lives on 9/11. There is a wall of tiles with pictures of each of the 343 fallen members of the FDNY. Visitors can watch a computer presentation of some unbelievable photos from that day, view glass cases filled with remains, such as a piece of one of the planes, a camera that was left behind, a firefighter’s lost helmet. The Museum collected patches from firefighters who came from all over the country to help with relief efforts, which are displayed on two huge boards.
The second floor contains more artifacts from different time periods– helmets, uniform parts, parade hats, tools, hand pumped fire engines and early fire apparatus.
The third floor loft is a space that can be rented out for parties and special events.
Something you should note: The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It is closed on Mondays and major holidays.
The Museum also runs a fire safety education program to teach participants how to prevent fires and what to do should one occur. For more information, check out the Museum’s website:
http://www.nycfiremuseum.org/ Tweet This
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