Our Objective

While many other major cities in Ohio, and for that matter the nation, have fire museums, Cleveland does not. Our objective is to provide a first-class regional fire museum and education center to dramatically increase fire safety programming and reduce the numbers of fire deaths and injuries in Northeast Ohio. To be successful in our cause, our primary partner, the Cleveland Fire Department, will house its Office of Public Education in our facility. We will work together to develop and implement innovative and effective fire safety programs.

Our Audience

The primary audiences for our programs will be children and the elderly. They will learn fire safety from a premiere corps of teachers including active and retired firefighters from throughout Northeast Ohio. Our programs will be presented in a highly interactive environment, role-playing in simulated settings will be used to demonstrate what to do in the event of a fire. The lessons learned will be reinforced by historical events. First-hand accounts, historic artifacts (including some hands-on), photographs, video, and sound will be used to make our fire safety training both memorable and effective. When we open no less than 6,000 school children will be served in our first year of operations and we are committed to grow the programming to reach 10,000 school children a year.

Benefits to the Community

Starting with our fire safety programs, the Fire Museum and Education Center will help save lives. Over the past 6 years the City of Cleveland and the region have seen a marked increase in fire-related deaths and injuries. The vast majority of fire deaths have been children and the elderly. With proper training many of these deaths were preventable. By focusing attention on these tragedies, their causes and remedies, and by providing more effective and innovative fire safety education, we will help reduce fire deaths and injuries.

The Milwaukee Fire Museum has been so successful at this fundamental objective that no child who has participated in their fire safety training programs has ever been killed or injured in a fire!

In addition to our education programs, we will preserve the history of the fire service. By showing the work of firefighters we will grow an appreciation for their sacrifices and encourage young visitors to consider a career in the fire service.