Essex Fire Museum

Name: Essex Fire Museum
Address: Essex Fire Museum, Grays Fire Station, Hogg Lane, Grays, RM175, GB
Telephone: +441376576848
Price range: $
Rating: 4.9

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Essex Fire Museum

Welcome to the official page of the Essex Fire Museum
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04/12/2023

On this day (December 4th)

HAPPY ST BARBARA’S DAY (PATRON SAINT OF FIRE FIGHTERS)

December 4 is St Barbara’s Day. This lady is an early Christian martyr who was put to death somewhere in modern day Lebanon. She is revered as a saint by the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox churches. Tales of lightening surround her life and death and may explain how she comes to be the patron saint of those who work with explosives, and by extension tunnellers, and with the military, particularly gunners, armourers and engineers.
But she also has a claim to be the patron saint of firefighters, especially in France.
Every 4 December French firefighters don best uniforms and guards of honour shine old-style chrome helmets for formal parades to celebrate the day and there are other traditional ceremonies, and formal dinners to round off events.
The esteem in which the French fire and rescue service holds St Barbara appears attributable to another well known Frenchman – Napoleon. When he reformed the Paris fire service in 1811 and handed it over to the French Army (in whose hands it remains today) it was part of the Corps of Engineers – the sappers (French sapeurs). Hence the French term for a firefighter, “sapeur-pompier”. Presumably they brought St Barbara with them and the rest of the French fire and rescue service fell in behind.

03/12/2023

We are at the Billericay Christmas Market today (Billericay High Street). Come and say hello, if you can.😀🎅🎅🎄🎄

01/12/2023

We are having a Christmas family open day on Sunday 17th December. If you would like to come along, please contact us via: [email protected] and tell us the number in your party and the time would like to arrive. We are open from 10.30am to 4.00pm. Last suggested entry time is 2.30pm. Thanks. 🎄🎄🎄

25/11/2023

We have places left our family open day tomorrow (Sunday 26th November). If you would like to come along, please contact us via: [email protected] and tell us the number in your party and the time you would like to arrive. We are open from 10.30am to 4.00pm. Last suggested arrival time is 2.30pm. Thanks.😀😀

Our next family open day is on Sunday 26th November. If you would like to come along, please contact us via: museum@e...

17/11/2023

Our next family open day is on Sunday 26th November. If you would like to come along, please contact us via: [email protected] and tell us the number in your party and time you would like to arrive. We are open from 10.30am to 4.00pm.
Last suggested entry time is 2.30pm. Thanks.😀😀

10/11/2023

Ahead of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday this weekend, today at 11am, our colleagues at Service Headquarters paused to mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War, a two-minute silence honoured all those who have lost their lives since 1914 while serving their country.
The Essex Fire Museum volunteers put together a small display to support the ceremony.
Lest we forget.

01/11/2023

Thanks to everyone who attended our Halloween open days. We hope you had a nice time. A special shout out to those who came out to see us on Sunday (in the heavy rain)......we hope you have dried out now.
Our next family open day is on Sunday 26th November. Visits must be pre-booked as we are on the site of a working fire station. If you would like to come along, please contact us at: [email protected] and tell us the number in your party and the time you would like arrive. Last suggested entry time is 2.30pm. Thanks 😀😀.

21/10/2023

We are at Basildon Station's open day today. Our volunteers have put together a great display about incidents, vehicles and stations in the Basildon district. Come along and see us if you can.😀😀

14/10/2023

We are at the Billericay History Fair today (Billericay library). Our volunteers have put together a great display about incidents, appliances and stations in Billericay and surrounding areas. There are lots of displays and talks to enjoy from different historical groups. Come along to the event if you can and say hello.😀😀

06/10/2023

We have two Halloween open days coming up on the 24th and 29th October. Come along and enjoy our museum trails, arts and crafts, fire safety room, old fire engines and water squirting. If you're brave enough, you may even want to enter our haunted house!!😀😀
This is a free event but visits must be pre-booked via: [email protected] Please tell us the number in your party and the time you would like to arrive. We are open from 10.30am to 4.00pm.

02/10/2023

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY BEN

2023 Marks the 80th anniversary of The Firefighters Charity, previously the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund, often known as the “Ben” Fund.

The Fund was born of dire necessity early in World War II. Over the first month’s bombing of London in September 1940 some 70 firemen and 3 firewomen were killed. Many were members of the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) for whom no financial provision had been made if they were killed or injured on duty. A firefighter’s pay ceased immediately on death and those seriously injured who could not resume work after 13 weeks were discharged from the service. In such cases state benefits, not generous, were rigorously means tested. Severe hardship often resulted for families and the effects on personnel already under great strain badly dented morale. In London many firefighters were AFS and it was quickly appreciated that action was needed to alleviate the situation, especially when people started to hand in money at fire stations in appreciation of firefighters’ efforts and anticipating these gifts would be used for their welfare.

Against a background of constant air raids and mounting casualties representatives of all London Fire Service (LFS) ranks made great efforts to create a legal and workable benevolent fund. A 6d (2.5p) levy on LFS personnel augmented public donations. So by the end of 1940 the LFS Benevolent Fund was established and had paid out almost £1000 in grants.

Severe bombing and casualties among provincial firefighters highlighted that this was not just a London issue. Some of the larger provincial fire brigades had benevolent funds, but their finances varied enormously. At the same time North American firefighters wanted to contribute to their British colleagues’ welfare. These developments coincided with a government decision in 1941 to merge existing fire brigades and the AFS into one National Fire Service (NFS). Welfare now needed to be organised on a national scale and in 1943 the NFS Benevolent Fund was created.

In 1948 the fire service returned to local control but the highly successful “Ben” fund was retained as the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund covering the 150 or so fire brigades that replaced the NFS.. Its scope has broadened to include convalescent and rehabilitation centres, and it remains ready to assist in cases of death, injury or illness brought on by the dangerous nature of firefighters’ duties.

So, the next time your local fire station has an Open Day or a Car Wash in aid of The Firefighters Charity, remember its history of good works and please give generously.

29/09/2023

We had a visit this week from the Romford and Hornchurch Naval Association. Our volunteer Mick Ford gave a talk about fire firefighting in the first world war. The group were really interested to hear about the large number of naval officers who had prominent roles within the UK fire service and all the crossover skills and disciplines between the two organisations.
We really enjoyed their visit and have been asked to visit a future Naval association meeting and give the same talk to members who were unable to attend the museum. 😀😀

18/09/2023

Over the weekend, Essex Fire Museum held a special dementia friendly open day. We met with some lovely people from several care homes and support groups across Essex. Our volunteers showed people around our fire engines and artefacts and also made sure everyone was catered for with tea and cakes. 😀😀.
We were supported on the day by the Thurrock Dementia Friendly Communities group, the Alzheimer's society and the fantastic guys on White Watch, Grays station.
It really was a nice day and great to see all our lovely visitors.😀😀

18/09/2023

On Sunday we attended the Emergency Services day at the Brooklands aviation and motoring Museum in Weybridge. The day was really busy and we got to chat with lots of people. The staff and volunteers at Brooklands museum were brilliant. It really is a great place. If you ever get the chance to visit, it is well worth it.

16/09/2023

We had a visit this week from the Treetops Centre, Billericay. The young people got involved with trails around the museum, tried on some fire uniform and had a good look inside our fire engines. They also met with Blue Watch at Grays station and got to see a brand new fire engine that had only been delivered the previous night. They were the first ones to test the new hoses too and made a great job of it, knocking down cones and hitting all the targets. We really enjoyed their visit and hope to see them again soon. 😀😀

Our next family open day is on Sunday 24th September. If you would like to come along please email us at: museum@esse...

08/09/2023

Our next family open day is on Sunday 24th September. If you would like to come along please email us at:
[email protected] and tell us the number in your party and the time you would like to arrive. We are open from 10.30am to 4.00pm. Thanks. 😀😀

01/09/2023

Essex Fire Museum will be hosting a special open day on Saturday 16th September for people living with dementia and their carers, companions or family members. We will be supported by teams from the Thurrock Dementia Action Alliance and the Alzheimer's society.
If you would like to attend, please contact us via:
[email protected] . Thanks very much.😀😀

Address

Essex Fire Museum, Grays Fire Station, Hogg Lane
Grays
RM175

Telephone

+441376576848

Website

https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/fire_museum

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