kansas firefighters museum

This museum really is a real Wichita treasure. The staff is great, the tour informative and they have something for everyone to enjoy in this little old fire station that has been covered in memorabilia and packed with fire trucks from yesteryear. Their gift shop has reasonably priced items for kids. And yes, there is a pole still in the firehouse but no you can't slide down it.

The Wichita Fire Department was the 1st in this country to be motorized. And, second only to Paris, France in the world! This museum is a gem in the heart of Wichita. Tons of great old fire fighting equipment & photos. A lot of fun & very interesting for all ages. My 2 1/2 year old grandsons loved it! And so did grandpa!Notes: stairs to climb to 2nd floorCurrently working fire station next door. Parking across street. Park with splash water feature next to museum.

Don't let the seemingly small size of the building fool ya! Located in historic WFD Firehouse #6, this building's 2 floors house a ton of firefighting history. Horsedrawn firewagons, old handrawn pump wagons, an antique fire engine, dozens of variations of fire buckets, hoses, hose nozzles, helmets, fire alarms and on and on. And that's to say nothing of the hundreds of photos of Wichita/Kansas fires, rescues and so on. A Wichita FF invented the quick hitch horse collar essential for rapid hitching horses to the pumpwagon to minimize response time - and it is on display in there. And WFD was the 2nd municipal fire dept IN THE WORLD to stop using horsedrawn equipment and begin using automotive vehicles. And this is a fraction of the history in this bldg.A person could spend hours in this place. Our hosts were CPT (ret) BK Owens & LT (ret) Nick Mendoza - both a wealth of historical information and great at dealing with visitors (of all ages).