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| The fire hydrants in the foreground are stamped "Honolulu". |
When I heard about this tour, I knew I had to go pronto. First of all, it's free. Second, it's housed in a historic building (Kaka'ako Fire Station). Wait. First of all, it's run by the Fire Department. The Fire Department is like a rock star or a Leonard's malasada: everybody loves them.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I went mainly to learn about HFD history, but with any luck, being so close to a working fire station, thought maybe I'd catch a glimpse of a chiseled fireman on the job (no lie, you're thinking the same thing). Attention ladies and queens and straight men that can't figure out how to turn off the smoke detector or shave their hipster beard: this tour is given by not one, but s e v e r a l real-life firefighters. Fires are not the only things that are hot, am I right? Indeed, the sun was out blazing so I was glad to seek refuge in air conditioning. What were YOU thinking? But yes, cross an NFPA library with Magic Mike, and you get this museum. I'm kidding. But seriously.
So you've already signed up, what else can you see? Outside there are memorials to 9/11 and victims of the 1853 smallpox epidemic buried in this area. Once inside the station, the first things you will notice are probably the antique fire wagon and engine, or maybe the display about how the Fire Department got started in 1850 and all monarchs from Kamehameha III on were involved (as well as many other notable people like Alexander Cartwright). There are many different antique firefighting apparatus: leather hats and buckets, glass fire grenades, brass fire extinguisher and various fittings, and other tools of the trade.
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| Fire fighters wear many hats, and these show how they've changed over the years. Literally. Advances in materials have made them better functionally, but the aesthetic of the antique leather hats can't be beat. |
A well-done exhibit on HFD's role during the Pearl Harbor attack includes an actual Purple Heart. Nine firefighters were awarded Purple Hearts: Captains John Carreira and Thomas S. Macy, and Hoseman Harry T.L. Pang, who were killed in action; and Lt. Frederick Kealoha and Hosemen Moses Kalilikame, John A. Gilman, Solomon H. Naavao, Jr., Patrick J. McCabe and George Correa, who suffered injuries (URLs link to findagrave.com). They are the only civilian firefighters (or only civilians, period?) to have received this honor. (Here are two more detailed accounts of the firefighting efforts of Dec. 7, 1941: a hawaii.edu PDF and Firehouse (a serious publication, by the way, don't know what you're thinking) article.) A couple of well done maps show in detail how the fires at Hickam were fought and the damage inflicted throughout Honolulu from projectiles gone askew.
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| This truck was used on December 7, 1941, and has the damage to prove it. |
You'll grip a railing "fittingly" made of pipe going up to the second floor, where you will get to see the hose drying tower, different types of fire sprinkler heads, the bathroom that firefighters would have used, and the captain's private room. You'll know the difference between a smoke detector, smoke alarm, and fire alarm before you get to the room where firefighters used to sleep. Each firefighter had a locker to store his belongings; these are repurposed to display how firefighting attire has evolved with advancements in technical fabrics and materials. In this way, this is as much a tour of the building as its contents. Look down along the fire pole to the first floor (no, you can't slide down). See wooden ladders, a wooden surfboard, and fire boat equipment, among many other things.
You get a little time to explore each floor on your own and plenty of opportunities to ask questions. The only way this tour would be better is if they taught you how to drive the antique truck, which is to say, it's excellent. And unique. Don't forget to reserve your spot.
About the building
(Primary source: NPS.)
Kaka'ako Fire Station, designed by Solomon F. Kenn, was built in 1929 from the same plans as the Makiki Fire Station, which is still in use. The ladder truck station was added the next year, but has since been demolished. One of seven surviving (as of 1980) historic fire stations constructed between 1924 and 1934, the station apparently used to have sliding doors and sash windows.
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| What the building once looked like. Photo credit: Library of Congress. |
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| Makiki Fire Station. Photo credit: Joel Bradshaw. |
Palama Station, built 1901, is the oldest that survives and served as the template for the design of others this era. Dickey's Central Station (the one Downtown on Beretania), deviated from the Spanish Mission style of the rest. Wikipedia has a photo of this station ca. 1901, its appearance then much different from the Art Deco style of its replacement seen today. The Waikiki Station was also built in this era in a Hawaiian style, but was heavily renovated in 1963. Had to go to the Cape Cod FD for a photo of that one (also has photos of several other Oahu stations).
Also, ghost stories abound.
Here are more older photos of the building, including the ladder truck station.