Fire museum renews lease with eyes on future expansion
The Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigades will continue to operate out of the municipally owned facility at 10 Bell Drive in Baden after the township’s council renewed its $1 lease for another five years.
The organization, now with more than 80 members, has accrued six motorized vehicles as well as three horse drawn units, and though it isn’t asking for any money at this time, president Peter Gingerich says it’s “absolutely filled to the brim and beyond” with articles both large and small that are stored offsite.
One of five fire department museums in Ontario, “We also have a huge static display of firefighting memorabilia that ranges from nozzles, uniforms, turnout gear, fire extinguishers, hand-held fire department tools, photographs, helmets, miniature replicas of Baden’s early pumpers, newspaper articles and minute books,” Gingerich told council. “We have the names and years of service of the people that served to protect the citizens of Wilmot.”
In the collection is an early 110volt electric defibrillator and the first jaws of life.
“The jaws were bought and paid for by the Baden firefighters themselves,” Gingerich noted.
A not-for-profit, registered charitable organization, Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigades is operated by volunteers and relies almost entirely on fundraising.
There’s a monthly 50/50 raffle with details online at wilmotfiremuseum.com.
A bottle drive is held every last Saturday of the month. “Anything aluminum. We collect scrap metal,” said Gingerich.
The museum is open to the public on Wednesday evenings, as well as Saturdays during the summertime, and for groups and students upon request.
It’s a “jewel of history” starting with the first fire service that was introduced to New Hamburg 167 years ago, in 1858, Gingerich said.
Baden’s service was established in 1883 and New Dundee’s in 1914. Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigades was formed in 1995 by seven retired
Wilmot’s facility is one of five fire departmentfocused historical institutions in Ontario
firefighters with a strong desire to preserve the history.
The museum has set up displays in Ottawa and at Queen’s Park in the past and remains a key component of Wilmot Heritage Day, providing joint programming with Castle Kilbride.
The organization has made various lease-hold improvements including installation of a concrete floor for the building, a retrofit of LED lights, installation of a gas furnace, roofing, siding and painting, according to a staff report.
“We have been saving our pennies, ”Gingerich said. “Someday we hope to have larger facilities that will allow us to have a much better, organized display, as well as an area to restore, repair, and maintain all of our equipment and artifacts, and then maybe we will even have a washroom.”