in their home or community.

Firefighters was a first class

radio production and it was very

popular among kids in our area.

The Cincinnati Fire Museum is

proud to present Firefighters on

our new website. All 140

surviving episodes can be found

under the Explore the Museum

tab. Soon we hope to revive the

Junior Firefighters Kids Club and

bring back the classic kids badge

and rank bar. Our young visitors

will be guided through interactive

stations in the museum using an

app that is currently being

developed. Upon completion of

their tasks, they will leave the

museum with their new rank of

Firefighter!

Holland Advertising is now

America’s oldest family owned

advertising

agency and it

will soon

celebrate its

80th year in

style at the

Cincinnati Fire

Museum!

- J.Peter

Radio was once king and

Cincinnati was a major center for

the industry thanks to the

Crosley Corporation and the

WLW Radio Station. Shows like

The Lone Ranger and Dick Tracy

entertained children and adults

alike. Cincinnati contributed to

this genre in part through the

imagination of William F. Holland.

In 1948, Holland, the owner of a

Cincinnati-based advertising firm

entered into an arrangement with

NBC to produce a radio program

that would tell the exciting stories

of firemen and help spread the

important message of fire

prevention in the community.

Holland’s radio program was

called Firefighters, and it followed

the experience of rookie

firefighter, Tim Collins. Collins

had returned home from service

in World War II and worked to

get a position in the fire

department in which his father

had served. Tragically, his father

had died in the line of duty when

Tim was a boy. Each episode

draws the listener further into

Tim Collin’s experiences as he

develops into a notable firefighter.

Central to the success of the

show was the marketing strategy

that included a Junior Firefighters

Kids Club. Children would join the

club by taking a firefighters test.

Their membership included a badge

and rank bar. Over time, members

were able to work their way up to

Junior Fire Chief. Following each

radio program the fire chief, Bob

Cody, would issue a special task to

members of the club asking them

to help with a fire prevention issue

Firefighters...A Cincinnati Production

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Barney Houston

Spotlight

2

Our 911 Steel 2

Major Events

Record

3

Top Fire

Photograph

3

New Recruit

Shirts

4

Upcoming

Events

5

Membership

Report

6

The Relic Room S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

M U S E U M

H O U R S :

Tue-Sat 10a - 4p

Closed Holidays

Check It Out! Through a generous donation to the Cincinnati Fire

Museum by the Stelter Family, we now proudly display the

helmet and boots that were worn by Chief Barney

Houston. Houston served the CFD as chief for 41 of his

54yrs of service. Check out this new display next time

you visit the museum!

P A G E 2

The Term

“Firefighter” was

popularized by the

classic radio

program

“Firefighters”

produced by

William F. Holland

Productions here

in Cincinnati!

Barney J. Houston,

Longest Serving

Chief of the CFD.

What Is That?

Did You Know….

The Spotlight...Chief Barney Houston Part 3/3

On April 1, 1957 Barney

Houston, the youngest man

selected to serve as fire chief

of the Cincinnati Fire

Department, retired as the

longest serving chief in the

departments history.

Houston had responded to

thousands of alarms and was

once referred to as the fire

departments “most injured”

man. On one occasion, at the

Midwest Salvage Company

Fire, Chief Houston was nearly

crushed by falling bricks after

he shut off a gas pipe feeding

fire in the building.

On March 28, 1957, days

before his retirement , Chief

Houston was honored with a

testimonial dinner at the Hotel

Gibson. Nearly 1000

Cincinnatians attended the

event. Among other gifts,

Houston received a new

station wagon, color TV, wrist

watch, and movie camera. He

was also presented with a

portrait of himself wearing his

turnout gear (see picture).

In his retirement Houston

remained an active member of

the business community. He

continued to work as the

President and Director of the

Central Hyde Park Building

and Loan Association and

served on the boards of

several charitable institutions.

Barney Houston died at the

age of 90 from injuries related

to a fall sustained while leaving

a local restaurant. He had

been married for 53 years.

Prior to his service in the

Cincinnati Fire Department,

Houston had served the U.S.

Marie Corps in the Spanish-

American War and he was on

board Admiral Dewey’s

flagship during the Battle of

Manila Bay. - J.Peter

Chief Houston’s portrait,

pictured to on the left is now

on display with his helmet and

boots at the Cincinnati Fire

Museum!

be unveiled at the end of

March. This is the only

traveling piece of World Trade

Center steel in the country.

The memorial can be seen at

parades and special events

including this years Opening

Day Parade. See pg.6 for

details about upcoming special

events!

911steel.com

...The Cincinnati Fire Museum

owns a piece of the World

Trade Center?

Thanks to a collaborate

effort with the Goodtimers

and the help of several

dedicated local businesses, the

trailer on which the artifact is

mounted has been replaced.

The new trailer is scheduled to

Can you identify this historic piece of fire department

equipment? Here you have the opportunity to test

your knowledge of the past.

We reveal the answer on the last page of this

newsletter

T H E R E L I C R O O M

For The Archive...

P A G E 3 S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

01/04 - 4 Alarm Fire - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

01/04 - Presumptive Cancer Act signed into law by Gov. John Kasich

(Michael Louis Palumbo Jr Act - Formerly Senate Bill 27)

01/07 - 2 Alarm Fire - 735 State Street

01/08 - Kentucky becomes the 27th state to sign “Right to Work”

legislation into law making union dues optional and public employee

strikes illegal.

01/19 - 2 Alarm Fire - 1709 Kinney Av - Vacant residential building

fire with extension to neighboring building

01/19 - HAZMAT Incident - 4526 Chickering Av - Sun Chemical

01/23 - Former Covington Ky Fire Chief Donald Brown dies of

natural causes at St Elizabeth Hospital

01/24 - New GPS based CAD system goes in service with Cincinnati

Fire Department around 0430

01/28 - 3 Alarm Fire - 2525 Victory Pkwy - Alms Apartments fire in

Apartment 711 with smoke and possible fire on other floors

01/30 - Chief Richard Braun gives notice of his retirement effective

April 8th. He was hired as chief in January 2011.

02/13 - Cincinnati Fire Dept Class 115 sworn in

02/15 - 2 Alarm Fire - 3412 Hallwood

03/01 - Severe storms with several confirmed tornadoes cause

damage to Cincinnati area properties

03/05 - Firefighters in Northside take gunfire during an EMS run.

Professional Photographer Katie Woodring captured Covington Firefighters in defensive

operations at a 2 Alarm fire at 128 E.10th Street on March 12, 2016. Firefighters in the

Greater Cincinnati area are blessed to have so many talented photographers working to

capture shots like this. Katie typically covers Northern Kentucky departments. In addition

to fire photography she operates a studio and is available for weddings and special events!

Check out more of her work here: katiewoodring.com

Top Shot

“Number 20, Kappa, Sir!”

P A G E 4 S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

From The Vault

The Cincinnati Fire Department drill yard at Liberty & Linn has heard

hundreds of recruits sound off each morning with their name and number as

they prepare for PT. That number has taken on renewed significance with the

current recruits. The training staff has re-introduced the classic PT t-shirt

featuring each recruits number in large lettering on the front and back. The

earliest photo of recruits wearing shirts like these dates to the 1947 recruit

class, though the exact date they were introduced is unknown. Classes 104

and 105 were the first classes in decades not to sport this t-shirt. It briefly

returned for class 106 in 2002 before it was again abandoned until Class 115,

which was sworn in on February 13, 2017. - J.Peter

Class 115 pictures courtesy F.Akemon

Organized in 1870, the former

quarters of Engine 16 at McMillan and

Copeland is the oldest standing

Cincinnati Fire Station. The Italianate

house was designed by Samuel

Hannaford and Edwin Anderson.

Engine 16 was disbanded in July

1978. Today you can enjoy a brick oven

pizza inside the recently renovated

structure.

This 1960s era photo was taken by

CFD Fire Photographer Ed Effron.

Upcoming Events P A G E 5 S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

April 02

911 Steel Country Music Marathon Location: Pirates Den (3670 Werk Rd) Starts at 1:00

Tickets are on sale now for this benefit event with headliner and rising Nashville star Kaitlyn

Baker. The lineup also includes six of Cincinnati’s most talented country acts. Proceeds

benefit the 911 Steel, the country’s only mobile 9/11 memorial featuring a large piece of

structural steel from the World Trade Center. The artifact is owned by the Cincinnati Fire

Museum and the memorial is managed by the Goodtimers Foundation.

For information or tickets go to: 911steel.com/music_marathon or call 513-608-6209

April 03

98th Annual Findlay Market Opening Day Parade Findlay Market - Starts at Noon

The Cincinnati Fire Museum, 911 Steel Memorial, and Cincinnati Firefighters will again

participate in this great local tradition! Come see us and enjoy opening day the way only we

do it here in Cincinnati!

More Info: findlaymarketparade.com

April 15

Fire Museum Keeneland Bus Trip Bus Departs at 9:00am - RESERVATION DEADLINE: April 05

Join us for a bus trip to the horse races at Keeneland. $80/person includes a

continental breakfast, general admission to the race track, and beverages

and lunch on the bus. Benefits the Fire Museum

Contact Bill Donovan for details (513)470-0264

April 08

Members Appreciation Day

The museum extends its thanks to everyone who joined in the past year including

those that supported our the emergency effort to repair our heating system

May 21

Heart of a Warrior Pieniazek Memorial 5k Walk/Run Spring Grove Cemetery - 8:00am - Free Kids Run - Refreshments - Prizes

More Info: dancoletta1.wixsite.com/jordo

June 04

8th Annual Miles Greenwood National Fire Heritage Muster Spring Grove Cemetery - 10am to 3pm - FREE ADMISSION

Come check out a great collection of vintage fire apparatus. See the old engines run and

pump water! Take a fire heritage tour of the cemetery. Flea Market, Food and More!

Contact Paul Tieman for more information: (513) 753-5990

Membership Report

P A G E 6 S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

Membership Goals

50% of all active Cincinnati Fire also museum members

Representation of all Hamilton County & Northern Ky

departments among members

Significant increase in fire retiree memberships

Corporate/Business Membership Program

2017 Goal = 500 Members!

Current Memberships = 242

Future Plans

Renovated museum facility and display spaces

More birthday party and facility rental options

Special events that celebrate our emergency services

Presentation of an expanded storyline that adds the history

of our Hamilton County and Northern Ky departments

Support Great History

Join Today!!!

CincyFireMuseum.com

Thank You !!!

Chief Engineer Chief Robert Kuhn (F)

Gregory Jeranek (F)

James Bunner, Jr. (F)

Foreman Alan Eccard (F)

Mario Jackson (F) Bryan Stockelman (F)

Engineer Damara Hunt (F) Douglas Wunder (F)

Matthew Flagler (F) Chief Thomas Lakamp (F)

William Lustenberger (F)

Christopher Wesseler (F) Rita Boyd

Derek Riley Johnson

Julie Minneci Nykeba Banks (F)

Mose Jemison (F)

Jeffrey Tyree (F) Eric McCarthy (F)

Nick Guilkey (F)

Richard Hines (F) Micah Strong (F)

Bryan Moore (F)

Steve Salmons (F) Mark Edsall (F)

Joel Brown (F)

John Deal (F)

Mike Wentzel (F)

Joseph Lang (F)

Neil Houser (F) Kenneth Cristo (F)

Michael Anderson (F)

Pipeman Justin Peter (F)

Walter Cruse (F)

Chief Robert McWilliams (F) Dean Molitor (F)

David Harris (F)

Chief Roy Winston (F) Arthur Lewis (F)

Joshua Zortman (F) Stephen Myers (F)

Benjamin Otto (F)

John Williams (F) Brian Otten (F)

Melissa Arnold (F)

Christopher Snowden (F) William Houston (F)

Dan Boller, Jr. (F)

Daniel Wolf (R)

Stoker

David Bahler (F)

Timothy Findley, Jr. (F)

Michael Engelkamp (F) Douglas Kuhn (F)

Michael Monahan (F)

Edward Sipniewski (F) Robert Thomas (F)

Scott Bepler (F)

Frank Wilner, Jr. (F) Russell Williams (F)

Chief Michael Washington (F)

Jason Stelter (F) Joseph O’Shea (F)

Debra Redlich

Gayle Vaughn Robert Wright II (F)

Damonte Brown (F)

Ryan Burns (F) Dorian Childs (F)

Rhys Gast (F)

Jackson Griffin (F) Cameron Jameson (F)

David Johnson, Jr. (F)

Tyler Morgan (F) Scott Ray (F)

Kristen Worth (F)

Steven Smyth (F) Anthony Traum (F)

James Robben (F)

Brent Sanders (F) Brandon Wittwer (F)

Kevin McQuillan (F)

Ashley Booker (F) Carlier Smyth (F)

Melvin Walker (F)

Stephen Cole (F) Robert Johnson (F)

Jeffrey Bauman (F)

Patrick Borgemenke (F) Daniel Lang (F)

Martin Oevermeyer (F)

Ronald Phelps (F) Mike Rosiello (F)

David Taylor (F)

John Aisenbrey (F) Bryan Washington (F)

Gabriel Pitzer (F) Harold Jones (F)

Scott Rice (F)

Todd Steggmuller (F)

Emma Harper (F)

Watchman Terri Bradshaw Paddy Carolyn Dressell

Chief Marc Monahan (F)

Joseph Robertson (F) Drew Ahern (F)

Chris Handley (F)

Kenyon Turner (F) Erin Wallace (F)

Paul Mapes (F)

Vince Sunderhaus (F) Kevin McWilliams (F)

Robert Liston (F)

Garry Schloemer (F) Jody Schultz (F)

5 Alarm Members Chief Richard Braun (F)

Steve Siereveld (R)

Ron Mitchell

Tom Hardy

Matt Alter (F)

Bill Brown

Meghan Cummings

Christopher Dalambakis

Vickie Goodson (F)

Jennifer Greis

Mark Holland

Gary Miller

Ruby Miller

Gwen Mooney

Louis Rauh

Alvin Roehr, Jr.

Paul Weber (R)

Hans Zimmer Tom Rechtin

4 Alarm Members William Strite (B13) Phil Eha

3 Alarm Members

Howard Kuhnell, Jr. (B13)

Jack & JoAnn Lenzer

Thomas Tallentire Mike Boehem

2 Alarm Members

Paul Ketterer (F) Pat Feeback

Andrea Carrig

Jeffrey Lauch David Dye

Vickie Brown-Smith

Kelly Douglas Christen Browne

Christen Kiefer

Amanda Drohan Ashley Schlte

Heather Beer

Diana Graves-Klaric Lisa Riley

Kathy Herrmann Karen Walter

Christina Mullen

Jennifer Burton Martha Byington

Sara Oro

Nandra Phillips Tiffany Clover

John & Lynda Klug

Charles Powers Rochelle Hensley

Gina Heeg

Tasha Wilkie Larry Marshall

Scott & Christina Meyer

Lisa Baker-Keebler Anna Samels

Ruth Ann Saloan

Christina Klasmeier David Dreyer (F)

The Cincinnati Fire Museum recognizes the support of all our current members

Your generous gift will help to ensure the museum can continue its mission of preservation and education.

Thank you for supporting YOUR Cincinnati Fire Museum!

Jeremy Sibert Brittany Ferriel

Bess Sturgill

Jennifer Short Chandrakant Shetty

Gabriela Diaz-Gonzalez

Tony Hauck Mike O’Brian

Kim Lawlwe

Kara Gurley Matthew Kerst

Heather Norman

Sarah Hunter Malka Weiser

Beth Perrmann

David Mercado

Leah Brandenburg

Katie Sandlin Eric Bass

Chuck & Amanda Lane

Gary Schneider Zachary Prendergast

James Zoller

John Kevrper Adrienne Littles

Taylor Hutton

Chris Cross Todd Monroe

Asifa Vonhof

Linda Bruner Joanne Brandt

Dondi Tate

Theresa Bloemker

Dustin Holmes

Tom Sweeney

Kim Rees Lisa Snider

Amber Schurte

Kristie Sweet Zac & Anita Fritsch

Dan Shawhan

Danielle Baxter Tom Heffernan

Amanda Noble

Autumn Drane Kim Cloyd

Todd Roy

Erin Paul Anissa Sorrell

Wim Morre

Mark & Betsy Klote Debbie Oliver

Michael Sullivon

John Crego Katie Jacob

Chris Medley (F)

Amanda Duggan Pamela McAlpin

Dan Barone

Mike Bertermann Adam McCrann

Yuki Wehrli

Jamie Basch Amanda Linder

Mary Deering

Quinsella Bolton Megan Norris

Lauren Hubbard

Jillian Kirchoff Marc Sebens

Rellalynn McDonald

Sarah Fischer Bill Thornton (F)

Ida Miller

Jason Hendricks Sarah Erwin

James Augur

Tiffany Woods Jessica Hill

Ashley Marthaler

Michael Pardini Molly Merz

Bruce Cable

Deborah Estabrook

Cheryl Forrest

Shannen Helton Janice Bickel

Jasmine Fulmer

Kristen Amerez Amy Brossart

Briana Mulvihill

Alexandra Bullock Omar Armstrong

Individual Members Joe Eggemeier (F)

Richard Koeniger (F)

Elizabeth Stelter Steve Hagy (B13)

David Jones (B13)

David Mullis (B13)

Michael Drury

We want to recognize all our supporters...if we missed your name or you recognize an error please contact the museum and we will correct it !!

Bold = Board Member (F) = Active Firefighter (R) = Fire Retiree (B13) = Box 13 Acknowledgement Period 3/15/16 to 12/31/16

315 West Court Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

513-621-5553

CincyFireMuseum.com

The Cincinnati Fire Museum opened to the

public in 1961 as a collection of firefighting

artifacts on display in the basement of Engine

Company 3’s quarters. In 1980 the museum

was moved to its current location, the former

quarters of Engine Company 45. Since that

time the museum has worked to achieve its

dual mission of presenting the history of the

fire service in our area and providing life saving

fire safety lessons and education.

The Cincinnati Fire Museum remains “the only

local museum that saves lives!”

The Relic Room is the

Quarterly E-Newsletter of the Fire Museum

Justin Peter, Editor

Get Involved! The Cincinnati Fire Museum is

successful thanks to the hard work

and dedication of the staff and

volunteers. Do you enjoy teaching

fire safety to kids? Do you love our

history? Perhaps you have a talent

for writing and would like to see

your article appear in the

newsletter.

Contact the fire museum historian

to learn more about what you can

do to help.

Historian/Archivist:

Historian@cincyfiremuseum.com A Volunteer Era firefighter pumping the Hunneman Hand Pumper - Photo, J.Peter

What Is It? (see pg.2)

It’s the logo from our antique Dietz oil fire lantern

which hangs off the back of CFD Engine 13.