Old-fashioned hooks and ladders from 80 to 90 years ago hang on the walls. Hose nozzles from different eras sit in cases. About 25 helmets from Europe and the United States are beside more than 200 toy fire trucks Walter Dugdale, a member of the fire department for about 55 years, has accumulated since childhood.

Dugdale collected many of the artifacts at flea markets, auctions and antique shops. Fire departments have been a lifelong interest for him.

"I've chased fire trucks since I was that high," he said, bringing his hand down close to his knees. "I've just been fascinated by them."

Most departments in the area do not have a museum like this, but Bethel started one in the late 1970s as one of their members, the late Sherman Slaving, was working on a department history book. The museum closed for restoration in the 1980s and reopened more than a year ago.

One of the highlights is the 1936 Mack Pumper used at the firehouse where the American Legion now sits.

The town spent about $70,000 to have it restored in Pennsylvania in the 1980s, but the job was not completed properly, so a Connecticut restorer fixed it for another $70,000 about two years ago. Shortly afterward, it won a "Best Mack in Show" competition in New York.

Thalacker spoke at a recent press conference where DMACC officials unveiled a fire truck, announcing the college had obtained the truck to use at the fire academy, with grant money, along with an ambulance.

“Not many firefighter training centers can claim to have their very own fire trucks,” said Thalacker, who is a second-year student in DMACC’s Fire Science Technology program and a volunteer firefighter with the Baxter Fire Department. “The fire truck will help the fire science program tremendously. In the fire industry, we can learn a lot in the classroom, but almost everything we learn has to be applied hands-on, at some point.” 

Thalacker said DMACC classes and hands-on training, historically, have not generally taken place at the same site.

“All our hands-on things we did was out at Urbandale Fire Department, including live burns in their burn tower, extrication practice, testing, etc.,” Thalacker said. “We always used one of their fire engines and we are grateful for that equipment. But by having this truck, we can literally go through a lecture (on a DMACC campus) and walk 20 feet and have our own fire truck we can practice while it’s still fresh in our minds.”

The purchase was made possible by a $113,000 grant from Prairie Meadows. The grant covered the truck, equipment and some minor repairs.

Narcan, the prescription drug that saves lives in the many cases of heroin overdose, is now onboard all of the Chicago Fire Dept’s trucks and paramedic units.

Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago says it’s a big deal because time is of the essence in these emergencies.

“It is a big deal. There is an epidemic in the country with heroin overdoses,” Santiago said. “It’ll bring them down off that high and then you can see what you have. As you bring this person down, if anything starts to go wrong, you can go ahead and address that [because] we have paramedics on there.”