Pennsylvania National Fire Museum

The lads of the Reily Hose #10 are headed out on a run, but they'll be back for your visit today from 10am to 4pm!

Eighty years ago, on this day in Harrisburg Fire Bureau history June 1, 1941-At 1:55 a.m. someone pulled Box 221 at Cameron and Magnolia Streets, then failed to... remain at the box and it was determined to have been a false alarm. While standing near the Paxton Engine No. 6, which he had ridden to the alarm, off-duty paid fireman William B. Metzger, age 28, was struck by a fast moving car. He was taken to Harrisburg Hospital where he died several hours later. Fireman Metzger was appointed to the Fire Bureau on April 16, 1938 and assigned Badge No. 63. He was also an active Paxton member and lived at the S. 2nd Street firehouse. Originally assigned to drive Fire Chief Swartz’ red car, then after sustaining a debilitating injury to both feet at a previous fire, Metzger was then assigned as one of the regular drivers of the ambulance. Fireman Metzger was 28 years old and survived by his parents, a brother and a sister.

Today, and everyday, we are thankful for those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we may be free.

We hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day weekend. We are OPEN today from 1pm-4pm, and closed tomorrow. Stop in and see Al and Larry, they'd love to show you around!We hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day weekend. We are OPEN today from 1pm-4pm, and closed tomorrow. Stop in and see Al and Larry, they'd love to show you around!

It's raining outside, but we have amazing displays for you inside! Dave Houseal and Barry Buckingham will be awaiting your arrival today between 10am-4pm.It's raining outside, but we have amazing displays for you inside! Dave Houseal and Barry Buckingham will be awaiting your arrival today between 10am-4pm.

Gift Shop is OPEN from 1pm to 4pm. Your sweatshirt and hat are waiting for you.

The gift shop will be OPEN tomorrow, Sunday 12/13 from 1pm to 4pm. Pick up one or all of Dave Houseal Books, or maybe an all-new fleece gaiter for that firefighter in your life, and miss the crowds. The museum will not be open for tours.

Our gift shop is OPEN for your holiday shopping today until 4pm. The museum is closed for tours.

(An excerpt from the new book: The Reily Chronicles, due out shortly!) EVERYBODY OUTTA THE BUILDING! November 12, 1980... It was D Platoon’s last night of their tour of four days. Back then I worked with a great bunch of firemen assigned to Station No. 2. That night, Gonzo and Woo were on Tower 1, Disco Danny had the wheel of Engine 14, with Ronny D.A. Ream and Mike Beetle Bailey on Squad 1. The legendary Mike Bownaze was the senior Battalion Chief on the platoon and I was assigned to chauffeur him for the tour. At the time my job was Chief Bownaze’s driver. It was one of the best jobs I ever had. We got involved in literally everything that was going on, and I definitely caught my share of runs and workers. Although not the junior man of the house, the only downside of the position was whenever someone was needed to fill in for vacations, holidays, sick leave, I was moved off the car right away. As the chief’s driver, I was an additional set of eyes for Mike, especially surveying the rear of involved buildings, especially large two and three story rows, spotting any hazards, persons needing rescued, potential exposures, and fire extension, then report back to the chief verbally as we had no portable radios, then grab my air pack and fill in where needed. It was like being a one man squad company in the days when we sometimes ran so short-handed. Remember these were the days most of our six engines only had a driver on them. Today we would be chastised for freelancing and not being held accountable, but that’s the way it was during the war years and it simply was the way we worked fires. In relation to the amount of working building fires we had, rarely did anyone get seriously injured or trapped. Experience and camaraderie played a major part in everyone keeping an eye on each other. During that last fifteen and a half hour night, we caught several runs, beginning with a fairly stiff brush fire on the north end of City Island tying up two engines and two trucks for over an hour, then ran several false alarms and a small fire down S. 13th Street near the projects. After going to bed around midnight, we took in Box 153 at 2:45 a.m. in the Uptown district that turned out to be an oil burner malfunction at 1911 Susquehanna Street. The weather was cool and clear, a beautiful mid-autumn night. At 5:17 a.m. the bells began clanging Box 731, Dunkle and Brookwood, located in a fairly quiet section of Allison Hill and not one of our regular false alarm boxes. There’s not much traffic at 5:18, so I’m floggin’ the red Chevy Impala BC’s car down 17th Street. It’s a good thing as I managed to beat Engine 8 to 17th and Derry Streets and catchin’ the traffic light a bright shade of blue-green I squeal the tires and hang a left than floor it again for three long blocks east on Derry. Just before Zorba’s Lounge I spin the steering wheel a hard right, thread through the parked cars on Dunkle, speed up the hill and screech to a halt at Brookwood. There’s a guy standing in the middle of the street pointing east on Brookwood. As we slow down, he yells, Up that way, make a right on 20th, then go about a block. Lotta smoke, ya can’t miss it! I spun the wheel left on to Brookwood, one quick block, then a right on 20th. The smoky haze banking down onto the street, illuminated by the high beams told us right away we had a job. Approaching the end of several two-story brick duplex houses, the smoke becomes a lot thicker and Mike yells, STOP! It’s on my side! Glancing to my left for a place to ditch the red car, I spin the wheel, slamming into several pot holes, and bump to a halt in Syndicate Alley (although I had no idea the name of the alley until later that morning). Jeez, House-Mouse! is all Mike gets out of his mouth as he pulls his dirty white bell cap up off his ears after slamming his head into the Impala’s crusty headliner. He immediately picked up the radio and reported to dispatcher, George Kennedy, Chief 5 on the scene, lotta smoke showin’ from the front side of Don’s Plating on S. 20th Street. Within another minute or two, Gonzo pops the emergency brake on Tower 1 as they screech to a halt in front of the building. Disco stops Engine 14 at 20th and Brookwood and jumps out, races around to the hose bed, yanks off, then wraps a 3 supply line around the hydrant, jumps back into the front seat, slams it into gear and drops a line on the street, stopping to the rear of Tower 1. Ream pulls the Chevy panel truck, now the rig for Squad 1, out of the way into a gravel covered parking lot across Syndicate Alley to the south side of the fire building. At the same time, Engine 8 had followed us down Dunkle Street, but kept going straight to Greenwood where Seggie wraps a pair of three inch supply lines around another plug then drove into the same lot alongside Squad 1. As Woo climbs out of the cab of Tower 1, he grabbed his Haligan tool and forced open the front door. By now I had my bunker gear on, MSA Model 401 air pack slung over my shoulder slipping into the harness, fast walking to the front of Don’s. In those days, the MSA 401’s were rated at 30 minutes and if you were lucky while working hard inside, you might eek out 15 or 20 minutes of air, so it was normal we would charge the cylinder but not put our face piece on until we were inside and really needed it. At the same time I made a quick study of the building to make a mental note as to the construction, number of floors, heavy wires overhead and where the service came into the place and get a ‘read’ of what the smoke or any visible fire was doing. In addition to my air pack, my other tools would be a short hook or pick head axe and a heavy duty hand light. This morning when we got out of the red car, Mike yelled at me to get inside for a quick look-see, then report back. Beetle and Ronny, the Squad 1 guys by now were pulling a pre-connected inch and a half from the wooden blitz box on Engine 14, flaked it out on the ground and were following me inside. Considering the amount of smoke oozing out around some of the cinder blocks and eaves on the outside, it was surprisingly light inside. I managed to make my way back through some offices down a center hallway, then about what I thought was halfway into the building, I could hear crackling above me. Another couple of feet brought me to an open area. Shining my hand light on the ceiling, I noticed what appeared to be a large trapdoor or piece of plywood but with no indication of any ladder or stairs. Cracks of bright orange were outlining the covered opening. I grabbed my hook and pushed up on covering enough to see we had a working fire in the loft. Beetle get the line charged, it’s back here. I yelled to the squad. I’m gonna report to Mike what we got and I’ll be right back with a loft ladder. We might be able to get it from here. Beetle keyed his portable radio, Squad 1 to Engine 14, charge my line. Danny was quick as he jerked his tank-to-pump lever and corresponding gate valve for the preconnected line to open. He then ran back to the hydrant to charge his supply as the C Model Mack pumper only had a 300 gallon tank of water on it. Working around Beetle in the narrow hallway, I took several steps toward the front when I heard Chief Bownaze yelling, EVERYBODY OUTTA THE BUILDING! As I met Bownaze coming down the hallway, I told him what we had and thought we could get it from inside. In the eerie light combination of flashing red lights from Tower 1’s beacon and a moving hand light or two, I noticed this odd, kinda determined look on his face. Jaw clenched, eyes narrowed and with a raised voice he repeated, You and the Squad, GET OUTTA THE BUILDING NOW! Spinning on the ball of his foot, he hustled out the front door at the same time keyed his portable and almost yelled, Chief 5 to Headquarters, gimme the third alarm. I was baffled. We had hardly any smoke inside the building and for a veteran fireman like Mike Bownaze to order everyone out without even attempting a good hit on the fire, I knew something wasn’t quite right. As the three of us dragged the charged hose line out the front door I immediately noticed that all the surrounding buildings were now bathed in bright orange almost like the sun just came up very quickly. I turned around, catching one quick glance which gave me the answer. The fire was already through the roof and traveling fast from front to rear. An old adage of urban firefighting is simply that when the ladder pipes and towers go up, the building is going to come down. And that’s what happened in the next two hours.

The gift shop ONLY will be open Saturday, 12/12 from 10am to 4pm. No tours are available.The gift shop ONLY will be open Saturday, 12/12 from 10am to 4pm. No tours are available.

#harrisburgfirehistory

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Joe 'Blackie' Kufrovich and the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society on his passing. Blackie was a great help to us at the PA National Fire Museum many times. He was like the wonder book of knowledge for all things Mack & Hahn. Personally he was a great and caring friend who always wanted to know how I felt, dismissing his own aches and pains. The Fire Service is losing many of the great pillars who were instrumental on getting us to where we are today. Rest easy my friend... we got it from here. John Bruetsch

Well that notice about the Fire Museum being open extra days until Christmas was short-lived. I just received a memo from President Gill of the Fire Museum and... although we will be OPEN TOMORROW(FRIDAY) we will be closed by order of Governor Wolfe until into January, beginning Saturday. However if you wish to purchase THE REILY CHRONICLES go on line and order one (or more) through either the Fire Museum website at PNFM.org or my website at davehousealbooks.com. But do it soon if you want it before Christmas! See more

We're open 1pm to 4pm today. We even left the cobwebs up and called them decorations!We're open 1pm to 4pm today. We even left the cobwebs up and called them decorations!

Dave Houseal's new book is now at the printers! Stay tuned for an announcement in the upcoming week or two for availability

OPEN today until 4pm, the Friday gang is awaiting your arrival. And don't forget to grab a new hoodie while you're here!

Beautiful, warm weather right now, but you know what's coming. Be prepared in our new swag! Stop by our gift shop this weekend for hats, hoodies, and fleece neck gaiters.

We couldn't miss a holiday parade, regardless of the style. Come see us!

The following individuals have not picked up their copy of 'Yesterday's Fire & Smoke'. If arrangements are not made by next Saturday the 24th, we will be forced to put the copies back out for sale. Arrangements can be made for us to ship the book if need be. Please let us know ASAP - We are open on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Kevin Morris Bob Pressler(2) Kraig Herman Taylor Smith Mike Horst Tammy Shawn McClintock

The Battalion Chief's position was created in 1959. A 1960 Chevy 2 door sedan was purchased as the first BC's cars and the BC was assigned to the Hope No. 2 fi...rehouse to run citywide on all boxes. The first three chiefs and their platoons were: D. Edgar Fox(A), Clarence Fry(B) and Sam McLinn(C) See more

The Reily Chronicles, Harrisburg Fire Historian Dave Houseal's newest work, is going to the printers! Who's excited? Let us know your favorite book by Dave, and why.

Congratulations to these Brothers on 30 years of service to the City of Harrisburg! Thank you.

Today, join us in remembering all those who died in the line of duty.

Fall is here and winter is coming. It’s time to start thinking about Christmas presents for family and friends and it’s time to begin thinking about things to do indoors. We have both of those areas covered. Come see our beautiful museum, the wonderful Gamewell room and learn some history from our knowledgeable staff. While you are here take some gifts home for the holidays. We are open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A stellar gang of "Loafers and Loard" are staffing the Reily today until 4pm. Stop by, hear a story or two (free with admission) and pick up a sweatshirt while you're here. Open Saturday 10am to 4pm, and Sunday 1pm to 4pm as well.