Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Fire Museum and Heritage Trust
by Graeme Kirkwood
The Museum will celebrate its 10th birthday on the 28th June 2022.
The Scottish Fire Brigades Heritage Trust (previously the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Heritage Trust and before that the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Heritage Trust) manages the Fire Museum in Greenock.
The museum is housed in the old Greenock Fire Station which is part of the Municipal Buildings and was opened in 1887, serving as Greenock’s Fire Station until 1960 when they moved to new premises in Rue End Street.
In 2000 a group of people who had been restoring an old Dennis F8 fire appliance which had been stationed in this fire station took it down to Greenock for a photo shoot. While there a Councillor stopped to talk with them and got the old station opened up for them to see. Whilst inside one of the group passed a casual remark that the building would make an ideal fire museum. After a few years every September the SFB Preservation Group started cleaning out the old station, bringing down appliances and artefacts and opening the station for Inverclyde’s Doors Open weekend, then taking everything away and repeating the process every September.
In 2009 Strathclyde Fire and Rescue with the backing of Strathclyde Fire Board pledged support to a Fire Museum in Greenock and in conjunction with Inverclyde Council work got under way and the Museum was opened on Thursday 28th June, 2012 by SFR Board Convenor Joe Lowe and Inverclyde Provost Robert Moran.
Entering the Museum, you are greeted by two mannequin horses in front of a gleaming Steamer and on the opposite wall is a collection of 101 Fire Marks. Into the cobbled Courtyard we find an 1820 Manual Fire Pump, a Pillar Fire Hydrant, a street fire alarm and a war time Auxiliary Towing Unit. Behind the bay doors there is a 1940s Hose Reel Tender and a 1950s Dennis fire engine. In the main area there is a 1936 open Fire Engine, the beautiful Strathclyde Chair made by John McLaughlan, and the painting “September Nightmare” by war time artist and NFS fireman Paul Dessau. In this section we also have a Memorial to all the Firefighters who have died in the Line of Duty in all the Brigades that made up Strathclyde Fire Brigade and a section on the Greenock Blitz. Moving to the rear section we find another Manual Pump, Steamer Pump and the Paisley Wheelbarrow, a history of Breathing Apparatus sets and “Wallace” the famous Glasgow Fire Dog. There is also an Audio Visual room showing Fire Service films, a Smart board where children can interact with a jigsaw, fire safety advice and some uniforms and helmets the children can try on.
Throughout the Museum there are mannequins showing the uniforms worn throughout the ages, information boards which tell the history of the Fire Brigade and personal stories. There are also six cabinets displaying artefacts, medals, including two George Medals, uniforms and memorabilia donated by former members of Brigades
