The photos you see here of a sampling of our fire equipment offer just a glimpse into the history of buckets, torches, axes, extinguishers, trumpets, hooks, ladders and other equipment in our collection. Please enjoy the photos below, but to really experience more than 300 years of firefighting, come visit the Museum soon!

	Bucket Carriage used by Continental Bucket Co.No.1, of Jamaica, Long Island NY. Iron stanchion in center of machine bears metal plate, “Jamaica 1787-1907”. Four-wheeled carriage equipped to carry 50 buckets to use in places where there were no hydrants.
	Speaking Trumpets were first used as early as 1752 in NY by Fire Chiefs and Officers to shout orders to their men. The earliest were made of tin, then brass and silver of various sizes and shapes. Presentation trumpets were given as gifts and tokens of esteem. Many were made of solid silver with ornate carvings and inscriptions. Some were inlaid with gold, or encrusted with semi-precious stones.
	Twenty-foot long brass sliding pole from the City of Auburn FD, Auburn, NY. All brass with spring-loaded base, when pole is compressed the anti-draught doors opened to allow firemen to pass through. The first fire poles, made of wood, were installed in NY City Firehouses in 1873 by Daniel Lawler of Engine Co.13.
	Fire axes were made of many different sizes, ranging from small hatchet sizes to large “Viking” style or “battle axes” as seen here. Early axes had a sharp pick on one end for prying and a rounded blade for chopping. The round blade was later replaced by a square edged blade, which was more effective in fighting fires.
	Cornice or Pull-Down Hook consists of a heavy forged hook to which is attached a heavy, solid-link chain with ring forged in the end. A pole was placed in the hook to hoist it up onto a cornice or chimney. A rope was attached to the ring in the end of the chain. Firemen would grab the rope and pull down the teetering chimney in order to prevent it from falling unexpectedly. This is where the term “Hook & Ladder” came from.
	Prior to the invention of useful hose in 1807, water to supply the engines had to be conveyed by buckets. All residents were required by law to keep available in their houses, buckets for use at fires. To easily identify their bucket, owners usually marked them with their name, initials or street number. Many were emblazoned in oil paints with coats-of-arms, portraits or other insignia.
	Siebe Gorman Mask circa 1878– Mfg’d by Siebe Gorman & Co. LTD. London England. Leather mask is attached to a hose, which is attached to a foot bellows. The firefighter would don the leather mask, while a second firefighter would provide air by operating a foot bellows. Signals were given by tugs on the hose by the wearer, 1 tug meant more air, 2 tugs less air, 3 tugs help me out.
	Browder Life Saving Machine, is a net 9 to 9 ½ feet in diameter. It was used to catch individuals unable to escape through regular means during a fire. People would jump from as far as three to four stories into the net to escape.

For more information or a brochure, please call the Museum toll-free at (877) 347-3687.