The Station

Also the fire companies became well known and respected as a fire fighting team. Their calls started to increase and in 1911, Hook and Ladder 3 responded to 272 alarms and used 4,205 feet of ladders for the year. During that same time, Hose 3 responded to 225 alarms and laid 40,600 feet of hose for the year. In 1912, Engine Company 10 was assigned to the Fair Park Station. It’s history changes with the advance of firefighting technology during the first half of the twentieth century. The stations operation captures the impact of innovation and modernization.

In the late teens and the early twenties, the fire department started phasing out the horses and began moving into the motorized era of the Department. In 1926, a “joker” system was installed allowing the electronic communication of messages and alarms to the firemen through a device employing a telegraphic punch paper tape. This was a major advancement for the Department and the Fair Park Fire Station tested the prototype. This required that the company numbers that ended in “0″ had to be renumbered because you could not punch a “0″ in the tape. Old station 5 at Bryan and Hawkins was closed and the Fair Park Station was renumbered to 5′s and all apparatus was renumbered for the station. Thus Engine 10 became Engine 5 and Hook and Ladder 3 became Truck 5.

In 1968 the Dallas Fire Council, which was made up of 30 citizens that were interested in the fire service, discussed the idea of a Museum and suggested to then Chief Penn to establish a Museum in the Dallas Fire Department. Chief Penn appointed a committee to study the feasibility of constructing a Museum. The committee was made up from members of the community, Box 4, and the Fire Department. These members were George Thomas, Phil Lux, Sidney Quinn, Darrell Scott, M.C. Hendrix, Dodd Miller, and Jerry Lambert.

The committee decided that there was enough interest to justify the formulation of a Museum and permission was granted to use part of Fire Station No. 5 for that purpose. The seven committeemen became the first board of directors and set up the first bylaws for the Museum. The decision was made to incorporate as a non-profit organization and a 50-year charter was granted by the State of Texas for the corporation on August 28, 1970.

The Museum was started in 1972 after Truck 5 was moved to new Station 19. It was completed in three phases. Phase 1 was completed on schedule in April of 1972. This consisted of moving all of the fire station facilities of No. 5 Station to the ground floor so that Engine 5 could operate independently. Phase 2 was completed in June of 1972 and consisted of constructing the office and record keeping area on the second floor. Phase 3 was completed by October 1, 1972 and consisted of arranging the Museum Itself. The plans called for the display area to be modeled as nearly as possible to a fire station. The Museum was ready for the opening of the Texas State Fair that is directly across the street. The City of Dallas declared the Museum as a City of Dallas landmark that year. In 1975, Engine 5 was moved to the northern part of the city as Truck 57 and the Museum took over their quarters. The Museum sits today as she closed as an active fire station on May 2, 1975.

Many people have passed through the doors of the Museum since its inception in 1972 with an annual attendance of around 5,000 visitors. Generally half of these are children who can come and pretend what it is like to ride on that big red truck and learn how to protect themselves and their families from the dangers of fire. The Museum is associated with the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Dallas Historical Society, and the Fair Park Marketing Center. The Museum is funded from the members of the Department through payroll deduction and through an admission charge. If the members contribute 24 dollars or more to the Museum a year, they become members of the Museum. The purpose and mission of the Dallas Firefighters Museum is to provide the City of Dallas with a thriving and a well-attended historical and educational asset. The Museum teaches fire safety, honors the fallen heroes of the Department, preserves the firefighting heritage and possibly help save the lives of some of our guests. The Museum preserves the history of firefighting in Dallas through professional quality restoration and the display of vintage tools, apparatus, and memorabilia. The Museum also teaches safety through an interactive hands-on educational experience targeted for children in the second grade and older. It is intended to develop an awareness and appreciation for safety and accident prevention. Additional programs will be able to provide materials for parents, teachers, and others.

Page 2 of 3 | Previous page | Next page