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You don’t have to wait for the Kelowna Fire Museum and Education Centre to open in order to ‘visit’ the facility during National Fire Prevention Week.
While it will be several months before the new facility opens to the public, the Friends of the Fire Museum Society website is up and running and an Open House will be held.
The Museum Open House takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 10. Visitors will be able to see plans for the future museum, some of the equipment that has been acquired for displays and purchase Museum t-shirts and donate to the fundraising ‘Buy-a-Rung’ campaign. The Museum is located at 1630 Water St., next to the historic Water Street fire hall.
President Brian Moore says, “If you can’t make the Open House, by visiting www.firemuseum.ca you may also see what we have planned for the museum and learn about some of the historical artifacts and equipment that we will have on display. It also highlights the educational aspects that we plan for the museum, to help children across the Central Okanagan learn about making safe choices, especially when it comes to fire.”
Moore adds, “With Fire Prevention Week starting Oct. 4, we thought we should make people aware that our website links to the new National Fire Prevention Association online Sparky the fire dog game called ‘Crack the Code’. It stresses the importance of fire safety by asking children to identify fire facts that could help save lives. Children can also download a printable fire safety checklist and complete it along with their families.”
The fire museum website www.firemuseum.ca also provides visitors with important information about how they can help the society either by volunteering or through financial donations.
Director of Volunteers and Donor Relations Kelly Paley says, “Our Fire Museum t-shirts have been extremely popular wherever our volunteers have been selling them. You can purchase them online using the secure PayPal system. As well, you can donate through the website to the ‘Buy a Rung’ campaign by purchasing an inscribed ‘rung’ on one of ten ladders that will be created on highly-visible columns spaced throughout the museum main exhibit hall. For each $100 donation, you will receive up to three lines of inscribed text with 20 characters per line. There are a maximum of 200 rungs available for inscription during this fundraiser.”
Donors may also choose to download and fill out a ‘Buy a Rung’ pamphlet form and return it by mail with their payment to the Kelowna Fire Museum and Education Centre, 1630 Water Street, Kelowna, V1Y 1J9.
All funds raised through this and other donation campaigns are tax deductible and will go toward construction and operation of fire museum and education centre. For detailed information on various donation programs please visit www.firemuseum.ca or email donate@firemuseum.ca.
Background
The Kelowna Fire Museum and Education Centre is operated by The Friends of the Kelowna Fire Museum Society. It is comprised of current and retired volunteer and career firefighters, as well as interested members of the public. The education centre will focus on the prevention of unintentional childhood injuries. Not only will the Kelowna Fire Museum and Education Centre be an exciting tourist destination, it will also become a unique community resource for daycares, schools, families and the public at large. For more information, log on to www.firemuseum.ca.
The Museum’s collection includes a fully restored 1928 Graham ladder truck, a 1961 American LaFrance pumper, chemical wagon, hose wagon, a Gamewell pull box alarm system, and many other artifacts showcasing 100 years of service to the citizens of Kelowna.
Tags: kelowna fire museum
