Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage — Attraction in City of Edinburgh

Did you know that modern firefighting practices was started in Edinburgh of all places?

A free museum that maximizes the experience in spite of the limited spacing. The staff were so lovely and engaging. They gave context for why the museum was started and gave instructions on how to best proceed through the exhibit.

I will be providing an educator’s perspective on the experience.

I loved how there were backpacks full of activities for families to best enjoy the experience. I saw several parents encourage their kids to complete the scavenger hunt.

I loved how the museum incorporated multiple primary sources (including recording interviews with 999 communication operators. There was a particular interview in which the worker got very emotional, making it an especially powerful listening experience. Furthermore the addition of subtitles made it easier to follow along- accessibility for the win).

I loved how I could watch some old tv advertisements on fire safety. I couldn’t track when these ads were created but I could tell they were produced from different decades based on the tone and focus.

I really liked how there was even an opportunity for visitors to try to perform specific knots needed right achieve firefighter certification. One small recommendation would be that the photo instructions were a little janky sometimes. Perhaps a slowed video would be more effective.

There is even a small section for kids to dress up as firefighters. This is definitely for family but all can enjoy...

After having dragged my firefighter husband - who's not a history buff - all over Edinburgh to just about every historic site, I decided to cut him some slack and visit the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage. I fully expected to not be that into it myself, but was pleasantly surprised by their quite large and extremely lovingly maintained/restored collection of historic engines, vehicles, photos, articles, accessories, ... Even as a non-firefighter, it's almost impossible to not be enthralled by the displays the museum has on offer. Our visit was made even more enjoyable by Dave, a retired firefighter who works at the museum. We happened to ask him about something and ended up having a long and very interesting chat about the museum, his very long career as a firefighter, the challenges of fighting fires in Scotland and a city like Edinburgh, with it's many winding, narrow passageways. His love for the museum and the story of firefighters in Scotland is tangible, he's a great storyteller and just an overall fun person we were very happy to have met. We highly recommend a visit to the museum. If you're there, ask the staff whatever questions you have, because they can add so much more fascinating background info to the collection. Thanks...

I decided to visit after reading about it online. It wasn't very far out of town, so it was easy to get to. I met up with David and spent almost an hour chatting about the history of firefighting in Edinburgh from the very first horse-drawn steam pump to the first motorised vehicle to the present day. Very informative pictorial displays and loads of articles and equipment clearly show how basic items have changed dramatically over the years. At the back of the museum, huge windows look out over the exercise yard, so if you are lucky, you might get to see the firefighters doing a drill* All in all, it is a fascinating experience, and if you are into firefighting history, here's your chance

*times vary and...