Celebrate Public Safety Month during Flashback Friday: Meet A Curator

In honor of Public Safety Month in October, Flashback Friday: Meet A Curator will feature the extensive Naperville Fire Department collection from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at the Collections Care and Storage Facility, housed in the City of Naperville's Public Works Building at 180 Fort Hill Drive in Naperville.

"The collection is a collaborative effort between the Naperville Fire Department and Naperville Hose Co. No. 1, which is a group of retired and active firefighters," said Registrar Sarah Buhlig. "It's a very strong collection that includes early log books and ledgers."

The collection has more than 2,000 photographic images, in addition to three-dimensional objects like badges, tools, equipment, uniforms, turnout gear, helmets and boots.

"We're going to show a little bit of everything," Buhlig said. "From Pluggie the Fire Plug that was used for fire safety education to the oldest badge in the collection that dates back to the 1870s to a catch net that was used by firefighters for rescuing people."

Here's an interesting fact: according to the National Fire Protection Association, October is Public Safety Month because it commemorates the Great Chicago Fire that occurred Oct. 8-9, 1871, and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

This is the last program of the Flashback Friday series, which is targeted to teens and adults. Tickets are $10. Call (630) 420-6010 for reservations; space is limited to the first 20 registered. Naperville Heritage Society Sustaining members are free; call Rachel at (630) 420-6015 for more information.