Cambridge’s fire hall museum offers holiday fun and safety activities

It’s not everyday you get to ring an old fire bell, hunt for elf-made safety mistakes and help name a firehall pup all in one visit. But that’s exactly what’s happening at Cambridge’s Fire Hall Museum & Education Centre.

The last time Bob Burpee rang the bell at the Fire Hall Museum & Education Centre in Cambridge, he was about five years old.

Now, at 11, he’s back and ready to dig into the history of firefighting in Cambridge, take on the museum’s Christmas scavenger hunt and even suit up in full firefighter gear.

Inside the museum, there’s plenty to catch his eye.

“The fire truck is really cool,” said Burpee.

That truck is hard to miss — a 1938 Bickle-Seagrave, lovingly restored and showcased at the museum.

“We’re very proud to have this 1938 Bickle-Seagrave. It was built in Woodstock, Ont., and it served for the town and City of Galt for 15 years,” said Bob Toth, co-founder of the museum.

The fire hall museum first opened its doors in 2004, and since then, it’s become a fixture in Cambridge’s downtown.

“It’s been an integral part of the downtown core. With the city hall being right here, it’s a great location. We get so many people on their way down to the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings,” said Robert Brisson, Fire Hall Museum & Education Centre board chair.

“We come to the farmer’s market every weekend so it’s always kind of like, a stop-in and kind of see what kinds of things are going on here and what’s happening and do a little colouring, play with some of the toys,” said Ben Dzemba, museum visitor.

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And this time of year, the museum is dressed for the holidays.

A decorated Christmas tree invites visitors to become “Santa Safety Sleuths.” Each level of the tree teaches a different holiday safety message.

“The elves set up the safety village, but there’s a lot of mistakes in it and we’re encouraging people to look for the 10 safety mistakes that are in it,” said Ingrid Talpak, director of events at the Fire Hall Museum & Education Centre.

To add even more fun, the museum is also asking visitors to help name its official firehall pup.

They came up with several names like Ash, Flame, Chief. But now it’s just down to two names — Blaze and Smokey. Which one will it be? The winning name will be announced on Dec. 20.

“Santa’s going to be showing up, so we’re encouraging kids to come in and talk to Santa,” said Talpak

And what about that rumour that Santa’s suit was actually inspired by firefighters’ gear? That question was put to the co-founder and Cambridge firefighting veteran Bob Toth.

“It’s possible. He had oil lamps but there are no fire regulations at the North Pole,” said Toth.

For visitors making a tradition of stopping by the fire hall museum, they are finding new ways to celebrate the season while sharing the city’s firefighting history.

The museum is open every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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