Firefighting History Explored at Museum Near Clayton, Richmond Heights

When it comes to exhibits that are sure to get visitors fired up, the  at the in Hazelwood is sizzling.

The museum located about 15 miles northwest of was founded on May 10, 2004, by firefighters Eric Kiehl, Chester Jones and Steve Arnold as a way to promote fire-safety education.

“The goal for the museum was education,” Kiehl said. “Letting the public know what firefighters are all about—the type of work that we do, the type of equipment that we use, the gear that we wear—mainly it was an educational thing.”

But there was another reason the three decided to open a museum packed with a fascinating collection of fire-fighting memorabilia.

“Because we had so much stuff,” said Kiehl, laughing.

So much stuff indeed. The 2,400-square-foot museum is filled from floor to ceiling with displays highlighting various aspects of firefighting, from the typical gauges firefighters use on a fire truck and mannequins wearing assorted fire-, heat- and chemical-resistant suits to patches, helmets and T-shirts from fire departments all over the country and, in many cases, through the years.

The museum has plenty of interesting displays. The name First Due, for example, originated in the 1800s.

In those days, fire departments competed with each other to be first to respond to a fire, sometimes for pride, sometimes because the local government would only pay the first fire department to arrive on the scene. The first department to put water on the fire, according to a display at the museum, would claim “First Due” and get credit for fighting the blaze.

Firefighters and their families come from all over the country and, in some cases, the world, to visit the museum. Many of the 300 or so fire department shirts displayed around the museum are brought in or mailed by firefighters who live and work elsewhere, including one from the Anchorage, AK, Fire Department and another from the McMurdo Fire Rescue Station in Antarctica.

The First Due Fire Museum is in Suite 302 in the “Circus of Fire” section at St. Louis Mills, 5555 St. Louis Mills Blvd., Hazelwood, MO 63042.

It is open 12-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 12-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, but the museum depends on donations to cover operating expenses. For more information, call the museum at 314-227-5911.