Newsroom

Whistle-Stop Tour to Visit the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center

posted: 4-25-2007

Ladson, SC - The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's (NFFF) Whistle-Stop Tour will make an impromptu, must-see visit to the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center on Wednesday, April 25th.

The NFFF's Whistle-Stop Tour is a 37-day nationwide caravan promoting firefighting safety and enlightening America's communities in fire prevention initiatives. Addressing the message, "Everyone Goes Home," the 20-stop journey will attend six weekend events which will serve as major points for rallies and training opportunities, as well as appear at spontaneous locations, such as the new North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center, whose grand opening, with free admission, will occur on April 28th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Since the inception of the tour, beginning in San Francisco in early April, an American LaFrance Eagle mid-engine pumper has ridden alongside the NFFF caravan to help promote fire safety throughout the nation. This engine, along with one other American LaFrance apparatus and the Whistle Stop Tour Bus, will be displayed outside the new museum which houses eighteen fullyrestored, antique American LaFrance fire engines behind its large firehouse-type doors, in anticipation of the grand opening.

Along with showcasing American LaFrance antiques, the museum will engage attendees of all ages with fascinating hands-on safety displays, such as the home hazards interactive exhibit and the Great Escape exhibit. The museum hopes to reach elementary school students throughout the state of South Carolina, serving as a site for annual field trips as well as becoming a nationally recognized fire education center and museum for children of all ages.

The North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center is located at 4975 Centre Pointe Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina. For more information on the new museum, including hours and prices, visit www.legacyofheroes.org. If you are interested in learning more about the NFFF and its Whistle-Stop Tour, please visit www.firehero.org

The Whistle-Stop Tour is made possible thanks to a grant by The Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the service and leadership of those that help and protect our communities. Additional tour sponsors include American LaFrance, Lowe's, Kidde, ICMA Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC), 3M Scotchlite, Motorola, Roadfitters Sprinkler Union Local 669, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, and The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program; other contributors include Firehouse.com and the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC).