By Ron Heal
As a fire apparatus enthusiast, the number one item on my bucket list was to visit the Hall of Flame in Phoenix, Arizona. For many years that item was on my back burner until early last fall when the national Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA) announced that the 2023 winter meeting would be held in February in Phoenix, Arizona at the Hall of Flame. Wow! With no hesitation I made airline and hotel reservations and sent in my registration and deposit to the organizing SPAAMFAA chapter. This was going to be a great event! There turned out to be one major glitch when an extended hospital stay wiped out that trip. Darn!
I heard great reports from some of my SPAAMFAA friends that the meetings were excellent and that the Hall of Flame was a top-notch quality museum. Great February weather was a bonus.
With my health issues behind me and an airline credit in hand, the Hall of Flame visit became a priority. I invited my son John to join me and enjoy some father/son time together. John said yes. Travel dates were confirmed for early September. Off we flew to Arizona where the temperature readings were 115-degrees.
The Hall of Flame advertises that there are more than 70 fully-restored fire apparatus on display in an acre of modern air-conditioned buildings. That makes their museum the world’s largest fire museum. We were met at the museum by my friend Norbe Puroll, regional sales manager for Perimeter Solutions. Norbe is a member at the museum and was a gracious host. Walking into the first of six galleries blows you away with the display of hand and horse-drawn apparatus. There is apparatus in four of the galleries with additional fire related items of interest that include fire marks, fire telegraph systems, arm patches, fire extinguishers, helmets, a dispatch center and a fire safety house. Many displays are hands-on experiences for children. A fifth gallery is devoted to forestry firefighting while the sixth gallery contains the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes. All the galleries are spotless, and units are very well displayed.
How did this large and quality museum come to be? Would you believe it started with one vintage fire pumper? For Christmas 1955 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Olive Getz gifted husband George Getz, Jr. with a 1924 American LaFrance Type 12E pumper that had been retired by the Oshkosh (WI) Fire Department. The couple were fascinated by the vintage pumper. The pumper was a big hit with the Getz family and friends as the pumper would often be seen driving around Lake Geneva. George Getz began to collect apparatus and fire service-related items from around the world. He founded the original Hall of Flame in 1961 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The museum grew, and from 1967 to 1970 the museum was in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I had the pleasure of visiting the museum while it was in Kenosha.
In 1971 the Getz family relocated to Arizona, moving the museum with them. In 1974 the Hall of Flame reopened in a 12,000-square-foot building. That facility expanded to 42,000 square feet in 1984. Mr. Getz passed in 1992. The Getz family remains very active in the operation of the museum. Today the museum square footage is over 66,000. A nearby shop/storge building houses up to 50 additional pieces of firefighting equipment that can be rotated into the various galleries. While the collection focuses on the American firefighting experience, there is also fire apparatus and related artifacts from England, France, Austria, Germany, and Japan.
When walking through the galleries I was impressed with the showroom appearance of the apparatus. Many of the rigs have the signature of Don Hale. In checking with Mark Moorhead, educational director at the museum, I learned that Don Hale was one of the most important figures in the history of the Hall of Flame. After retiring as assistant chief of the San Luis Obispo (CA) Fire Department, Don came to the museum to work as the restorer of 90 percent of the apparatus on display. He was with the museum from 1980 to 2011. Don brought many of the rigs back from disrepair to beauty and functionality. Don apprenticed in the 1930s under his grandfather. He gained skills in carriage painting, gold-leaf scrolling, lettering and striping, mechanical work, upholstery, wheelwrighting, finish carpentry and body work. He was a one-man restoration machine. Don was a one-of-a-kind person with all-but-irreplaceable skills. Don passed in 2016 at the age of 94. While he is sorely missed, the museum is very thankful for what Don brought to the museum.
Chuck Montgomery serves as the executive director at the museum. His enthusiasm and attention to details and fine tuning of all the museum’s facilities and displays bring added value to all museum visitors. I missed Chuck on my visit as he was in San Deigo at the Navy yards aboard the USS Midway to take part in a 911 remembrance. The Hall of Flame is now home to FDNY Rescue 4. This unit was damaged on 911 but was pressed back into service in the days that followed 911. The rescue has been restored and serves as a reminder of that day in history.
The Hall of Flame is located at 6101 East Van Buren Street, Phoenix, Arizona. This is across the street from the Phoenix Zoo. Visitors are welcome Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Phone: (602) 275-3473. Admission rates are $17 for adults; $15 for adults over 62 and students ages 6-17; $10 for children 3 to 5 years; under 3 years get in free. Check for group rates and special events. Their website is hallofflame.org.
There is so much to see at the Hall of Flame that it could take several trips to absorb all that the museum has to offer. This feature is only an introduction to this amazing place. My thanks to Chuck Montgomery, Norbe Puroll, Mark Moorhead, and George Renner for being gracious and informative hosts to our visit.
Having a bucket list is a good thing. My visit to the Hall of Flame met all my expectations and was so much more!
