Today I visited the Central Ohio Fire Museum in downtown Columbus. Of the 300 fire museums in North America, this is one of the very few teaching ones. Since opening in 2002, it has educated nearly 29,000 children about fire safety. It’s located in the restored Engine House No. 16, which was built in 1908 and housed several horses. Through a stunning array of firefighting memorabilia, the museum’s primary goal is to teach school-aged children about fire prevention. Kids are invited to slide down a fire pole, dress up in firefighter uniforms, extinguish a (mural) fire with a fire hose, and “drive” the back-end of an aerial ladder. They can view full-size dioramas of a bedroom during and after a fire, and of a safety kitchen that demonstrates how many home fires can be avoided. More than 1,500 area firefighters contribute funds to the museum through payroll deductions.
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