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Heart & Heat: A History of Fighting Fire in the Mahoning Valley
A six month special exhibit by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society
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Mahoning County Arms Museum. Heart & Heat Virtual Exhibit...
On February 2, 2001, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society kicked off the opening of a wonderful 6 month exhibit focusing on the history of firefighting in the Mahoning Valley. The exhibit, appropriately named Heart & Heat: A History of Fighting Fire in the Mahoning Valley featured photos, fire memorabilia, firefighting books, as well as modern firefighting equipment. Opening night of the exhibit was enjoyed by many. The Youngstown Fire Department sent several pieces of modern day apparatus for viewing in the Arms Museum's parking lot. This page is a virtual tour of the exhibit which closed on July 31st, 2001. Many of the photographs of the exhibit used here were taken by me. Addition photos are from the Arms Museum Web Site. Please take a moment and visit their site and see what new displays they have running.
INSTRUCTIONS: Below is a simple floor plan of the exhibit. The floor plan below is broken down into three rooms. If you click on a room, you are taken to a larger floor plan of that room. On this floor plan, photos are indicated by a red ball and arrow. The arrow points in the direction the photograph was taken. The numbers in the ball correspond with the photo and descriptive sections below. Click on a ball on the map and you will be taken to that section farther in the page. One more thing worth mentioning...to catch all the detail of the exhibit and to see some of the items, the images on this page are rather large and the number of photos is large, that means a long loading time. It is well worth the time however. So having said that...click a room or scroll down to begin. Enjoy!
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Main Exhibit Hallway
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 1. Thank You Plaque.
If you having trouble reading this sign, it's ok. Here is what it says...
The Mahoning Valley Historical Society would like to than the following people for loaning the many photographs and artifacts featured in Heart and Heat. All the following individuals have also donated time out of their days to making this exhibition so special.
Chief Bob Catchpole and the Liberty Fire Department
Chief James Dorman and the Boardman Fire Department
Eva Doyle
Inspector Leslie Fishel
Lieutenant Inspector Sharyl Frasier
Lieutenant Marcia Harris
Battalion Chief Timothy McGarry
Kenneth W. Mauch, Jr.
Chief Daniel Merwin and the Girard Fire Department
Candace and Brian Morgan
Chief William O'Hara and the Austintown Fire Department
Chief John O'Neill and the Youngstown Fire Department
Chief Robert Tieche and the Canfield Fire Department
Alvin Ware and the Arson Bureau
Youngstown Fire Department Inspection Bureau
Special thanks to Greg Ricker for his dedication to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and to preserving the history of firefighting in the Mahoning Valley.
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2. Women in the Fire Service.
Items in this area include photos of female firefighters. A dress uniform and helmet were also on display.
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3. Close Up of Women in the Fire Service.
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4. Close Up of Firefighting Gear and SCBA Air Pack.
Here we have a close up of one of a firefighter's turnout gear. Hanging behind is a SCBA or Self Contained Breathing Apparatus. Many fire department's refer to these as air packs.
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5. Assorted Firefighting Clothing and SCBA Air Packs.
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6. Firefighting Families Photo Wall.
The photos on the wall in the exhibit are families of firefighters. Many families have has several generations on the fire department. A sampling from Boardman, Austintown, Canfield, Poland, Boardman and Youngstown were shown here.
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7. Close Up of a Section of the Firefighting Families Wall.
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8. Fire Department and Apparatus Photos Wall.
This wall had photos of horse drawn and other early fire fighting equipment. Old apparatus photos from all over the Mahoning Valley were also included in the mix. In the center of the display was the name plate from a turn of the century fire steamer.
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9. Close Up of Fire Department and Apparatus Photos Wall
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Main Exhibit Room
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1. Dress uniform and other assorted fire equipment and memorabilia.
In this corner of the exhibit hall were an assortment of fire alarm boxes, a ticker tape machine, nozzles, fire grenades, a pressure gage from a steam fire engine, a fire alarm box indicator and gong, helmets, and a WWII air raid/volunteer fire siren indicator box.
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2. Youngstown Fire Department Logbook and Line of Duty Death Section.
Items in this area include a Youngstown Fire Department Log book, keys to an old firehouse along with images of who worked there, helmets and a list of names and photos of selected Youngstown Fire Line of Duty deaths.
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3. Close up of Youngstown Fire Department Log Book.
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4. Firefighter Funeral, Grave Site Marker and Firefighter Memorial
This shot shows a photo of the Youngstown Firefighter's Memorial, A cast iron firefighter's gravesite marker and photos of a deceased firefighter's funeral.
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5. Dress Uniform and Toy Assortment
Here we have a Youngstown Firefighter's dress uniform along with photos. See also image 6. In the cabinet on the right are an assortment of fire toys. See also image 7. An old Fire Chief Petal Car is hanging above the display case.
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6. Close up of a Youngstown Firefighter's Dress Uniform and Photos.
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7. Close up of Toy Display
In the toy display are some turn of the century metal fire toys on loan from the Historical Society's collection. There are a few small children's books, pogs, candy tins, Matchbox cars, even a firefighter Barbie.
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8. Youngstown Photos and Articles and Austintown Fire Department's Fire Book Display and Assorted Books.
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9. Close Up of Austintown's Book Display.
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Arson Hallway
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