Oregon Fire Museum in Urgent Need of Assistance

"We don't have our own building, but we still have to store and preserve this collection. These vehicles and equipment are a huge part of Oregon's fire history, and we have one shot at hanging on to them." - Museum Board President Jerry Heater

Photo/painting courtesy: Oregon Fire Museum

(BROOKS) - Over 677 years of Oregon fire service history is on the verge of becoming homeless. The board of the Oregon Fire Service Museum, Memorial, and Learning Center was told during the October board meeting that space which has been graciously donated to house a large part of the museum's collection is now need for other purposes by its owner.

Ten historic fire vehicles, along with miscellaneous equipment, must quickly find a new home.

While the fire museum board has been working for years to raise the funds to build a museum, the museum's collection has been stored at various locations throughout Western Oregon, including fire agencies, barns, sheds, and donated warehouse space.

After nearly a decade of fundraising, the museum has raised $150,000 towards the $402,000 needed for the first phase of museum construction. Phase I is the construction of a 12,220 square-foot building at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon, which would be used to store the museum's permanent collection.

"Our situation right now is critical," notes museum Board President Jerry Heater. "We don't have our own building, but we still have to store and preserve this collection. These vehicles and equipment are a huge part of Oregon's fire history, and we have one shot at hanging on to them."

Museum officials explain that their dilemma is raising every dollar they can to construct a building. The need to rent storage space for the historic vehicles would be a major set-back to the construction effort.

The fire vehicles soon to be homeless range from a 1889 Rumsey hand pumper to a 1958 American LaFrance. Most are of 1930s and 40s vintage. Museum Vice President Larry Blumenstein said, "Our goal is to display apparatus, equipment, and tools that span the Oregon's entire firefighting history. If we don't get a permanent building funded soon, many of the earliest artifacts that are yet to be donated to the Oregon Fire service Museum, may be sold to private collectors or museums in other states."

"What we need, quite simply, is money," says Heater, "and, in the short term, storage space."

More information about the museum can be found by visiting this site: www.oregonfiremuseum.com