Celebrating the brave men and women who have devoted their lives to fighting fire in the state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City’s Firefighter Museum has amassed an impressive collection of firefighting gear, uniforms, vehicles, and even an entire fire station within its walls.

This sprawling collection both shows and tells the history of America’s firefighting forces straight from the mouths of the people who have walked through the fire. Among the items on display are the world’s largest firefighting patch collection, a turn of the century fire engine complete with taxidermy horses (Sam and Don, respectively), and possibly most impressively the actual first fire station to be built in the Oklahoma area in 1864, still kitted out as it was when it was first created with a simple, wheeled hand pump. There are also a number of items that were used by America’s first ever firefighting force which was overseen by none other than Ben Franklin. 

The museum was opened in 1969 by the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association whose offices are also located in the building. Since its inception the museum has been solely funded by firefighters who donate yearly dues to the collection and it is also staffed and curated by firefighters active and retired. Even those who have passed in the eternal battle with fire are honored on a memorial wall sitting outside the museum.