Oklahoma Firefighters Museum(21)

Jonathan Elmore
Jul 3
3 min read

Updated: Jul 10

OKLAHOMA CITY

When I was growing up, we lived in Drummond, a very small Oklahoma town. If there was a fire, we had some volunteers that would save the day with small vehicles and water trucks. It wasn't until my mom and I went to Enid one day in the early 80's that I saw my first fire truck up close. Mom heard a siren close by so she pulled the car over. Of course I didn't know why until until the cherry red fire truck came screaming by. Stunned! I was so excited to see such a massive vehicle in real life. A couple of years later, we had a field trip to a fire house and again I was overjoyed to see these brave people and their giant red trucks. I had a couple of Hot Wheels fire trucks but this was a whole 'nother level. When I stepped into the main hall at the Oklahoma Firefighters Museum, I felt exactly like that wide eyed kid again.

I have to tell you, this collection of firefighting related things was so complete and fascinating that I spent way more time in there than I had anticipated. I started with the outside fire engines then went over to the Wall of Valor that can be seen on your way to the parking lot. It's very impressive and humbling. After that, I went inside and, oh boy! There were historical toys, extinguishers, carts, cars, trucks, uniform patches, safety gear, and on and on. I was in love with the place from the get go and it kept getting better the further I went. When I got to the back room where the fire engines are, I noticed the wall was line with display cases completely full of sew on patches from different fire houses from around the world. It is the retired Oklahoma City Fire Chief Ben B. Dancy's Fire Patch Collection and it's the largest collection open to the public. It was so cool to see fire patches from Oklahoma to New York to Berlin. Amazing!

Being a firefighter museum in Oklahoma, I was expecting a huge display of the work our firefighters did during the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. I honestly didn't want to relive the panic I felt at the National Monument, but I knew I could handle it better since I was prepared. What I saw wasn't grandiose or boastful. It was a simple Memorial in the front lobby dedicated to those that died and those that helped. Tastefully done. There was also a small display of recognition for the World Trade Center firefighters. Again, it was tasteful and not gaudy or prideful, just deserved acknowledgement. Both of these displays affirmed what I have thought for a long time. These men and women do this work because they're called to it. Recognition is nice, but not necessary. They may be bold people in their everyday lives, but when it comes to their jobs, they don't require awards and press coverage. They just want to be sure we're all okay. We should all either donate to our closest fire station or maybe just buy them lunch sometime. They deserve far more than that, but we can't all afford a ladder truck. Thanks to the Oklahoma City Fire Fighters and the fire crews all over the world.

2716 NE 50th Street, Oklahoma City

405-424-3440