Fred Conway was the fire chief for Perry Township, an area serving the rural and suburban western portions of Evansville and southern Indiana from 1959-69. He wrote in his book This Will Never Happen Again that during that time, the department never lost a single dwelling in Perry County.

The late Mr. Conway credited this success to the firefighters’ quick response time and an innovative way of fighting fires that he referred to as the indirect method of firefighting, used in Europe.

On one occasion a fire department too far away, not the closest, responded to a call. This instance changed Fred’s life and saved many. It prompted him to develop the self-sticking brilliant red fluorescent emergency number labels that residents placed on the cradle of their phones, with the correct fire department number listed.

This little sticker took off and those in rural areas can be thankful because during the pre-911 days, many homes and businesses were saved because of quick response from the correct fire department.

Fred graduated from Duke University with a degree in music; after graduation he auditioned for and obtained a position as a trombone player in the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. During his service his interest in firefighting increased and he was able to serve as a volunteer firefighter.

After his service was over, he and his wife moved to where she grew up in southern Indiana, where Fred was able to establish a volunteer fire department. The success of the fluorescent emergency number labels led him to start a business, Discount Labels, which is now a wholesale manufacturer of custom labels sold exclusively through a nationwide network of distributors.

Over the years, Fred’s love of anything to do firefighting led to him collect fire engine pieces and to restore actual fire engines. His collection grew to include 14 large pieces that consisted of hand-pulled engines, horse-drawn engines and motorized vehicles.

To accommodate the size of the collection he opened a museum called Vintage Fire Engines, Inc. in June 1999. His collection also included smaller items such as models, trumpets and lanterns.

Fred passed away in September 1999 shortly after living his dream of opening the fire museum. Without his presence, eventually the museum closed. Today the collection has been purchased by the Friends of the New Albany Fire Museum, Inc. and visitors on appointed days may view this wonderful collection that Curt Peters explained has since expanded.

The museum is located at 411 E. Spring and is open Saturdays from 1-4 and longer during the summer. Call 502-599-2522 for information and an appointment.

A bit of history is part of the tour. It is amazing how far firefighting methods have come. In Colonial times firefighting was conducted by a hand-held bucket brigade. “In 1666,” Curt said, “the great fire in London burned 7/8ths of the city and they saw the bucket wasn’t going to do what was needed to shoot water.”

Curt explained the museum’s 1756 Colonial Hand Engine was the next development in firefighting. “This still shoots water 25 feet.”

The collection also includes an 1828 hand tub fire engine that sucks water in and out, for which firefighters used a well or creek. The next significant piece is an 1838 hand-drawn hand pump fire engine.

The list goes on, with an 1855 8- to 10-person fire engine and an amazing 1875 Sherman Steam Engine, which was the first chemical fire engine in the United States. Built in Paris the engine was sent to the U.S. in 1870. The collection includes beautifully restored hose carts that also served as parade pieces from the 1870s.

Since the establishment of the museum, several donations have come in, and the most incredible on is the fire engine that was placed on a barge during the flood of 1937 in New Albany.

“The Ohio River had a terrible flood and the fire department built a barge to put this on in case of a fire,” Curt said. “This caught the imagination of the country and the picture was on news reels and in newspapers all over. The fire truck was sold in 1941 and used for 20 years or so. When the fire department that purchased it found out we were opening museum, they gave it to us to restore. We are going to put it on a raft for display.”

Another aspect of the museum is a fire safety education program Curt said they are creating, which will include a walk-in room of models to demonstrate the hazards and safety techniques, and hands-on exhibits.

Rural dwellers will be forever grateful for the peace of mind Fred’s invention brought, and today, visitors can enjoy a bit of his collection and the other items the Friends of the South Albany Fire Museum have gathered.

(In her Feb. 15 column, Cindy referenced the FFA Delo Tractor Restoration Competition twice; in one case it was spelled “Delco” instead. Also, it is sponsored by Chevron, but that is not part of the contest’s name.)

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.