The Central Ohio Fire Museum is located in a 1908 engine house that has been authentically restored. The museum offers personal guided tours and the primary focus of the museum is fire safety education. Classes are available for any age and we offer interactive programs, such as the 9-1-1 Simulator. You can find more info below.
*Free parking available in driveway
*Handicapped accessible
*Available for parties, meetings, and event rental
*Gift Shop
Admission Prices:
Adults $8
Seniors $7
Children $6
*Group tours by appointment only. Contact the Museum for group rates and to schedule 614-464-4004
Parking Info:
Plan to spend about 1 to 1.5 hours here with us. When arriving, you can follow our red brick driveway, which is on the south side of the building and features a small parking lot. Parking on-site is free, however if the lot becomes full, there is a pay parking lot directly south of the museum, as well as, meter parking on the street. If you have scheduled a group tour and are arriving by bus, we provide free bus parking on site.
New Discounted Admissions
We have partnered with Museums for All. Through Museums for All, those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) can gain free or reduced admission to more than 1,000 museums throughout the United States simply by presenting their SNAP EBT (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer) card. Museums for All is a national, branded access program that encourages individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. It is open to participation by any type of museum — including art, history, natural history/anthropology, and general museums, children’s museums, science centers, planetariums, nature centers, historic houses/sites, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and arboretums.
The cost of museum admission can be a barrier for many low-income families. Participating museums provide reduced admission, ranging from free to $3.00, to visitors presenting their EBT card. This reduced rate is available during all normal operating hours to up to four individuals per EBT card. With a year-round open door policy, Museums for All invites low-income visitors to feel welcome at cultural institutions.
Once inside:
All guests are offered a museum tour. A retired or active firefighter leads the majority of our tours. Guests will learn what it was like to be a firefighter during the early hand-pulled cart and horse-drawn steam engine era, and how the fire service has evolved to the present service that their communities have today. The museum features a permanent display of the early history of African American firefighters in Columbus. Guests can also ring the 500lb station bell in the bell tower and learn about early emergency communications (before 9-1-1).
Our historical exhibits represent the history of firefighting in central Ohio from about the 1820’s to present day (Columbus Division of Fire was founded in 1822). We have early hand-pulled carts, a horse-drawn steam engine, and early examples of motorized fire apparatus’. The 1908 building we are in was originally Engine House #16 and was the last fire station built to house the horse-drawn steam engines. Currently, the area that used to be the barn for the 10 horses stationed there, is used as our fire safety education area.
We have several rotating displays, which include our newest display highlighting the 100-year history of the Grandview Heights Division of Fire and another called Batter Up! which features photos and artifacts from CFD’s baseball team that played in the Columbus Industrial League in the 1920’s-30’s .
In addition to our rotating displays, there are several static displays of vintage fire helmets, fire shields, and insurance company fire marks. We have a play area for younger kids (Future Firefighters Academy) that features the cab and tiller seat from a real fire truck and a fire pole from an old Columbus fire station that kids can slide down, (it is the most popular area of the museum).
All guests are offered a chance to participate in age-appropriate fire safety education. We have programs from pre-K to senior citizens.
The museum is currently all on the first floor and is wheelchair accessible. Several restaurants are nearby and the staff is always happy to make suggestions. Our gift shop offers souvenirs and the opportunity for guests to purchase something for their favorite firefighter (Columbus Fire t-shirts, sweatshirts, ornaments and patches).
Our fire safety education program:
This program is extensive. We offer age-appropriate classes to all our guests and scheduled tour groups. The age range is Pre-K through senior citizen. Guests can learn how to make their homes fire safe, visit our fire safety kitchen and practice what to do if there is a fire in their home. We also teach the “Home Escape Plan” where guests can practice how to safely get out of a house fire. Guests are also given materials to take home and develop a plan for their own home and family. We have about 7,000 guests a year. In 2019, we taught fire safety education classes to over 1,700 children. We also do outreach programs with Children’s Hunger Alliance and local Headstart programs.
2024 Holiday Closures
Easter Weekend Sat 3/30/24 Memorial Day Weekend - Sat 5/25/24
Fourth of July - Weds 7/3 & Thur 7/4/24
Labor Day - Sat. 8/31/2024
Thanksgiving - Thur 11/28 - Sat. 11/30
Christmas - Tue 12/24 - Weds 12/25
New Year's - Tue 12/31/24 & Weds 1/1/25