News

National Fire Heritage Center Now Open

Published Date: 10.25.2011

The National Fire Heritage Center held its dedication ceremony on October 14 in conjunction with the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, MD. The center is located in the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum, near the national Fire Academy, and contains an archive of books, documents, and photographs that preserve the history of the U.S. fire service.

The National Fire Heritage Center has been many years in the making. A 2003 FEMA report by Dr. Harry Hickey entitled Heritage Hall – A Proposal to Archive the History of the Fire Service/Fire Protection Disciplines in America looked at the need to establish a center that would protect the intellectual property of the American fire service. In July 2005, retired California State Fire Marshal Ronny J. Coleman organized a meeting in Frederick, MD, to discuss making the dream a reality. Coleman had been elected chair of the planning committee.

The concept for the proposed fire service archival and research center was based largely on the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA. The Army facility actively acquires, stores, organizes, and preserves written documents pertaining to the history of the U.S. Army and actions of warfare from the time of George Washington to the present. A research center provides space for current and retired military personnel along with civilian researchers to access the archives.

The National Fire Heritage Center seeks to preserve the legacy of the contributors to the fire service profession. It covers the total scope of fire protection, from firefighting, to technology, to fire engineering, to advances in the industry, and more.

“It can be described as ‘preservation of the perishable,’” said Coleman, who is now the Center’s President. “The Center will focus on the lives, careers, and advances of those who dedicated themselves to the fire service. We are after the legacy of the contributors to profession.”

The Center will house a compendium of fire service histories, manuals, manuscripts, letters and correspondence, and other written materials and documents. In addition, oral histories are being gathered in the form of interviews, photos, videos, and stories from family members.

To learn more about the National Fire Heritage Center, find membership information, or donate materials, visit the Center’s web site at www.nationalfireheritagecenter.com.

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