The 2024 Fire Museum Seminar will be hosted by the Fire Museum Network (FMN) and the Houston Fire Museum, Inc. (HFM), a 501-c-3 educational facility quartered in the 125-year-old and freshly-preserved former Houston Fire Department (HFD) Station No. 7 (a.k.a. “Old 7’s”). The seminar will be held October 25-27 in Downtown and Midtown Houston and includes a field trip to a privately-run fire museum near Waller, Texas, about 45 minutes from HFM.
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Plan to travel in by Friday the 25th. If you are driving, you will be happy to know that the host hotel, The Whitehall, is providing rooms for our group for $169 per night plus tax, single or double occupancy, that also includes nightly valet parking (tipping extra). Note full hotel details below. You will get your first visit that evening to the Houston Fire Museum facility just eight blocks from our host hotel where an Open House and Reception should give everyone that feeling of “Houston Hospitality.”

 

On Saturday the 26th, we plan to visit the Edmonds Fire Museum, a private museum with a spectacular ensemble of HFD antique fire rigs and memorabilia, the vision of its late founder William “Butch” Edmonds, himself a career member of HFD. We plan to pick up some genuine Texas Barbecue for lunch on the return trip as well as visit HFD “Old 6’s,” on Washington Ave. near Downtown, a former HFD firehouse beautifully preserved by owner Tom Hair of Axiom Public Relations.

 

Sunday the 27th will be presentation day with five speakers lined up to discuss topics including historic firehouse preservation, risk management for museums, exhibit development in the digital age.

 

Each night will provide ample opportunity to meet old and make new friends who share the same passion for preserving the history of firefighting in America that you do.

 

For those planning to fly in, Houston has two major airports, Bush Intercontinental (airport code IAH) and Hobby Airport (code HOU). About 20 miles due north of Downtown, Bush is the larger by far, is a hub for United Airlines, but also offers service by American and Delta as well as numerous “discount” airlines. Hobby is about 10 miles southeast of Downtown and is dominated by Southwest Airlines with service as well by American and Delta. Taxis and ride-share vehicles are available at each airport. One-way (airport to our host hotel or vice-versa) fares are generally less than $50 plus tip.
 

Back to the hotel, attendees will be able to utilize The Whitehall’s courtesy van which is available for rides and pickups to local restaurants within the Downtown and Midtown areas for the price of a tip to the driver each way. So a huge selection of fantastic meal purveyors is easily within reach and return. HERE IS SOME MORE HOTEL INFORMATION YOU WILL NEED TO KNOW :
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Host Hotel is the WHITEHALL HOUSTON HOTEL - 1700 Smith Street, Houston TX 77002
- Toll-free hotel number (may book direct this way) 855-318-8945
- Website (or book online) - TheWhitehallHouston.com. 
- Give agent, or enter online, your Group Booking Code: 2410HOUSTONFIRE.
- Nightly group rate - $169 + tax (Good Oct 24-28 but nights of Oct 25, 26, and 27 would be needed for full seminar program)
- Rooms offered are either one King or two Queen beds; either are at same price stated above.
- Group Rate also includes nightly valet parking for one car per room; additional car is $40/night.
- The room block expires 10/4/24 or 3 weeks before start of event, after which rates may/will go higher & not include parking.
- ANY room booking can be cancelled up to 48 hours before 3 PM of arrival date (i.e. 3 PM 2 days before checkin) so book now with confidence that if you need to cancel, you can up to 2 days before event.

 

​IMPORTANT NOTICE: The museum is housed in a 125-year-old building without an elevator. Seminar presentations will be held on the 2 nd floor with closed-circuit TV fed to seats on the ground floor for those preferring not to climb the stairs. We will ask you to provide on the Registration Form the likely number who plan NOT to take the stairs during the seminar.