BUFALO, NY (WKBW-TV) — The first time Jim Albert stepped into the Buffalo Fire Museum it inspired him to become a volunteer. He says "Just the history of fire fighting in Buffalo going back to the bucket brigades, which progressed into volunteer fire fighters which gave way to a paid professional fire department in 1880."
It's all here in photographs, antique fire fighting equipment and cases filled with fire department memorabilia. There is one area dedicated to the propane explosion of 1983, one of the area's worst fire disasters.
When some Japanese fire fighters paid a visit to Buffalo in 1980, Jim says they did an acrobatic demonstration and then donated their "bamboo ladder...their robes and their banner to the museum."
The museum is run entirely by volunteers like Jim. They are open on Saturdays for tours and the admission is free, but they accept donations. They are located at William and North Ogden Streets in Buffalo.
