Kent Fire & Rescue Service Museum

www.romar.org.uk

Fire service historian and author

Roger Mardon

www.romar.org.uk

A proposal that the Kent Fire and Rescue Service Museum at Service Headquarters, Maidstone, should be closed was discussed at the meeting of Kent & Medway Fire & Rescue Authority’s Planning and Performance Committee on 28 January.

The decision was taken that the museum could not remain at Service Headquarters but there was unanimous support for the principle of keeping the collection together. A Project Team, including representatives of interested parties, is to be established to develop plans for a 'virtual museum' and for rehousing the artefacts. The Committee Chairman, Keith Ferrin, MBE, made it clear that it was not the intention to close the existing museum straightaway and he undertook that everything possible would be done to rehouse the collection in one place.

This is not a financial issue as the museum running costs are minimal, being mostly staffed by volunteers. The service does not believe the museum is well sited at Service Headquarters and there are competing demands for use of the building which was erected in 1963 specifically for the museum. The proposal was to relocate the museum artefacts and records to other museums around the county and to create a virtual fire museum accessible through the Internet. Whilst there is merit in an e-museum as an additional facility, it cannot provide a ‘hands-on’ experience where visitors can truly appreciate the nature and substance of the exhibits. If artefacts are distributed around the county that experience is likely to be lost and the concept of a fire service museum will certainly be lost.

Whilst it is disappointing that the museum will have to move, the support for keeping the collection together is encouraging. Every effort must now be made to find somewhere where this can be done.