Getting There • Getting Water • Getting Rescued Getting there, getting water, and getting people and things rescued —- those are the topics examined in the five new interactive exhibit kiosks at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum. The new exhibit, "Getting There, Getting Water, Getting Rescued" traces the evolution of the tools and technology used by firefighters. Visitors can pass a leather fire bucket from the early 1800s. Snap closed an authentic "quick-hitch" fire horse collar. Discover what was found under the floor boards of the old central fire station. Marvel at the strange looking Vajen-Bader smoke mask. Explore the differences in fire hose nozzles. Learn why some pieces of fire apparatus are called combinations, triples, quads, or quints. See and hear how modern fire engines clear the streets with sirens, air horns, and devices that change traffic lights green. Watch vintage film clips of firefighters and fire engines on one of five video touch-screens. All this in addition to five pieces of fire apparatus on display in a fully restored 1894 fire station.
While the mission and message remain virtually unchanged, the new exhibit makes the Aurora Regional Fire Museum much more hands-on and interactive. It is now a place where children (and children at heart) are encouraged to explore, discover, wonder, try, compare, learn, and share.
The need... The exhibit in the Aurora Regional Fire Museum’s main-floor apparatus room has always been about change. Change over time in specific areas of technology. Previously, these topics were presented in a haphazard way, on relatively small text labels, mounted in and on various cases. The decided lack of uniformity made it difficult for visitors to find/make direct comparisons. Although the former exhibit had a few “hands-on” objects, for the most part the visitor’s experience was more observatory than participatory. Few individuals had the patience or understanding to delve into the topic on their own. Instead relying on the museum’s staff to guide them though and interpret the objects on display and their inter-relationships. The solution... Museum Explorer Inc., a prominent local exhibit design firm, was hired to assist the Aurora Regional Fire Museum in redesigning the main-floor apparatus room exhibit. Over the course of six months, concept layouts were developed and refined. The new exhibit relies on five exhibit “kiosk” structures to provide a standardized framework with which to organize the exhibit’s topics and themes. These new structures will also incorporate interactive, hands-on activities, and multimedia (audio/video) elements to better address the multiple learning styles of our diverse audience.
Join us! The public is invited to attend a free opening reception of the new exhibit Getting There, Getting Water, Getting Rescued on Wednesdayn December 19th, from 3 to 7 pm • • • • The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is located at the corner of New York and Broadway (Rt 25) in Downtown Aurora The museum is open Thursday Friday and Saturday from 1 to 4 pm | Click here for directions and parking information |