Show your support for our digitization project
Have you used or enjoyed our online digital collections? Our digitization program has only been possible with grant funded assistance by the State Library. The California Revealed project has helped us digitize 99 motion picture films; 1440 photos of Department facilities and activities; 30 years of Department newsletters & annual reports and multiple other historical…
Read MoreFor the Record:
Where do the recent Eaton and Palisades fires stack up against other historic California wildfire disasters? Living with wildfire has long been a part of living on the West Coast, just like people in Florida know hurricanes and people in Minnesota know frigid weather. BUT – It’s been long enough since the elements of fire,…
Read MoreCommuniqué Newsletters Now Online!
Collection becoming digital With tremendous assistance from Rich Green, we’re able to offer a sample of old Department “Communique” issues here online in digital format. Each monthly issue is a downloadable PDF file and each year has a topic listing by month. Enjoy! If these really interest you, the Museum holds what we believe is…
Read MoreCelebrating the 1942 CDF Mack firetrucks
The second in our series of challenge coins features the Museum’s 1942 Mack, and is now available to purchase from our squaresite gift shop. Each coin will be laser engraved with an individual number from 001 – 500. These were created as companions to our previously released “Big Jimmy” version of the coin. Our 1942…
Read MoreA Year-end wish…
With the recent decline in the health of several of our founding board, we haven’t been able to put out a newsletter for a few years, but we are still busy behind the scenes. Our recent projects have included continuing our work with the State Library to get items from our “Black Cards” photo collection…
Read MoreSteve Huntington
A message from Board member and Acting Museum Manager, Jan Newman… Last Thursday when I got home from relocating one of the museums old engines I was was shocked and saddened to see a long time friend and colleague Steve Huntington had passed away. As many of you know Steve was an avid collector of…
Read MoreGift Shop
UPDATE Summer 2023: We have re-started a gift shop page with limited availability. Please visit our new Squaresite https://calfirehistory.square.site/ to see our offerings. As we struggle with limited personnel/staff to process orders, we expect to make our existing inventory of tee shirts available soon. We also still use PayPal for ongoing donations. For questions/comments, contact…
Read MoreMuseum Owned Fire Engines
(upd: Oct 2024) These engines are titled and insured by the CDF/Cal Fire Museum and intended to be available for parades or static displays. As our museum staff ages, we find a constant need for additional assistance to help maintain the fleet. Although many hours have been put into finding and restoring these beautiful pieces…
Read MoreFilm Library ONLINE!
Our patience has been rewarded. The first batch of 27 film submissions to the California Revealed digitization grant have finally been published and are available online. Click Here to browse the entire collection First and Foremost, it includes a complete full length edition of the classic CDF produced film, “Countdown To Calamity” scanned from a…
Read MoreWartime Women in Forestry
Research compiled by Elizabeth Groom There is a not very well documented history of women working in suppression for CDF much earlier than the stories of the female pioneers of the 70s. I’ve found several stories of women working for CDF in the 40s, not just as lookouts and dispatchers, and not just as volunteers.…
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