Grey Roots Museum and Archives has earned a nod from the Ontario Museum Association (OMA) for its exhibit that explores the history of firefighting in Grey County.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Grey Roots earned the Community Engagement OMA Award of Excellence for its exhibit Facing the Flames: The History of Firefighting in Grey County.
“In this challenging year, we are pleased to share the inspiring work of individuals and institutions who have contributed to a vibrant museum sector while serving their local communities,” said Marie Lalonde, executive director of the OMA in a press release.
Jill Paterson, manager of museum and archives for Grey Roots says the museum is thrilled to have earned the award and that Grey Roots staff could not have done it without the support of the county’s nine fire departments.
“It is a testament to how open and accommodating all nine of Grey County’s fire departments were to Grey Roots in sharing their stories, photos, buildings, objects, traditions and even training exercises with museum staff,” she said.
The exhibit explores multiple dimensions of firefighting history and culture with insights into the motivations of firefighters, job demands, and challenges they face.
Town of the Blue Mountains' (TBM) Fire Chief, Steve Conn was in attendance for the display's ribbon-cutting ceremony that was held last fall, along with the other Grey County fire and deputy fire chiefs.
"The exhibit is really well done and showcases to the public the history of all Grey County Fire Departments; from the lack of protective equipment the firefighters had to protect themselves from heat and smoke compared to today's standards of equipment/regulations," Conn said. "Photos of the fire halls and old fire pumpers paint a history of the past."
Facing the Flames includes 150 artifacts, a 12-minute video and numerous interactive displays.
“Our Moreston Bluewater Garage volunteers spent hundreds of hours over the course of three years restoring the museum’s 1923 LaFrance fire truck – Owen Sound Fire Engine No. 1, which was the impetus for the exhibit,” Paterson explained.
“We told our volunteers back in 2015 that when the LaFrance was in exhibitable shape, we’d do a firefighting exhibit - and we did it!”
Research for the exhibit was conducted over six months and included touring several local fire stations, reviewing recorded observations and collaboration with firefighters of all different age groups.
“Grey Roots staff had a lot to learn about firefighting to produce this exhibit, and we’re grateful to have had the support of the local departments,” said Paterson. “Firefighting today involves state-of-the-art engineering, physics, and emergency planning. Whenever we had a technical question, a Grey County firefighter answered it.”
According to Paterson, this is the largest exhibition Grey Roots has ever produced and it covers a wide range of firefighting topics - from the history of each Grey County fire department, to the weight of the gear, to physical and mental health risks, to how the architecture of fire halls has changed over time, to a kids’ play area that includes a firefighter race game and firepole that they can slide down.
“Our collections manager, Sim Salata, spent a good portion of last spring on the road travelling to Grey’s fire departments to interview and collect objects and photographs. It was a huge job to pull together all the information to write a history of each fire department in Grey County, but the archival staff here pored through bylaws, fire insurance plans and newspapers, and each fire department provided us with boxes of photos, albums and scrapbooks,” she said.
The display’s film was produced with clips from Grey County firefighters in action and snippets of interviews.
“There are over 20 panels of information, so visitors can learn about the history of firefighting in general and their local fire department’s development, and then take an in-depth look at topics ranging from the challenges of cold weather fire fighting to the dark side of firefighting, to the past major fires in Grey County, and the ways in which all of our fire departments work together to keep this huge county protected during multiple simultaneous fires or emergency events.”
Visitors are also able to look through firefighting photographs and documents that are relevant to their area.
"It is humbling to see what the firefighters did and faced in the past to put community safety first using what gear and apparatus they had at hand," Conn added. "I would recommend that families visit the exhibit at Grey Roots to view the award-winning display."
The exhibit will run until early May 2021 at Grey Roots, which is located in Owen Sound. For COVID-19 safety protocols, all visitors are asked to book their visit online prior to arrival.
