FIRE SERVICE RELATED
Fire service & police
exhibition takes off
The stories of two of Hampshire’s emergency services is
being told through a historic exhibition that has just opened.
Artefacts include uniforms and equipment dating
back to the 1700s and a ‘muster bay’ complete
with fire pole as well as police motorbikes and the
recreation of a cell.
The Police and Fire Heritage Collection has
been opened at the Solent Sky Museum,
in Southampton, by the Lord Lieutenant of
Hampshire Nigel Atkinson.
These pieces, which came from private
collections and later could only be viewed by
private appointment, are now open to the public.
This exhibition, on the second floor of the museum,
has been put together by retired firefighters and
police officers who formed the Hampshire Police
and Fire Heritage Trust.
The joint collection follows the theme of the
increased partnership working of the two public
safety services within the county.
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Trust Chairman and former Deputy Chief Officer
of HFRS Alan House said: “The history of any
organisation is very much a part of how that
organisation operates today and plans for the
future.
“The county can boast a very progressive and
internationally well respected fire and rescue
service and constabulary.
“This event is built on the foundations of the proud
history of both organisations, who work so closely in
providing a professional and effective level of safety
for the communities of Hampshire.
“Many years of building up, the then separate,
heritage collections, were in danger of ending and
this opportunity to combine them under one roof
and make them available to the public, rather than
by private appointment, means we are providing
a source of education, historical interest and
research.”