<p>Joey Thurman: As a kid I always wanted to be a fireman. I never got the chance, but if you show up to the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, which we're at right now, you can not only learn about the history of Aurora Fire and fire safety, but maybe, if you're really nice, you can get on the fire truck and hit the siren. Joey Thurman: Brian, we're around fire trucks and hoses and fake horses. Where are we at, man? Brian Failing: We're at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum. Joey Thurman: This is really cool. I mean, I've driven by here so many times and I wouldn't expect what's inside. Why do we need a fire museum? Brian Failing: So, we're in Aurora's original central fire station. It was built in 1894 and functioned as the fire station from 1894 to 1980 when the new station was built right next door. Joey Thurman: Okay. Brian Failing: Prior to that there was another station on this property. Police and fire were right next door to each other, and so when you're looking at Aurora and all of its architecture, the building really stands out as being very unique and different. And so it was preserved and brought back to its 1894 beauty, turned into a museum and we chronicle the history of firefighting, look at the history of the Aurora Fire Department, and then also look at fire safety as well. Joey Thurman: Okay. Why do you feel like it's important to have a fire museum and especially with the community of Aurora? Brian Failing: So, I think the most important reason to have a fire museum is really, as we're looking at the history, history is critical. We have to understand the past and where we came from to really know where we're going and how we can learn and develop. However, our mission is twofold in that it's both history as well as fire safety and prevention. So, I think that's really where we come in is bridging that gap between the history and the modern fire safety that you need to know to keep you and your family safe. Joey Thurman: Yeah. So, you guys have school tours or field trips and everything coming in here. So, they're not just looking at the pretty fire trucks, you're actually teaching them as well. Brian Failing: Yeah. So, if you come for a tour we'll do the kind of overview of the history of firefighting. And then upstairs, depending on the age group, we have a hands-on children's discovery room and then we sometimes will do different safety activities as well or teach them about... One activity we do with children is teach them about fire helmets. We also do a make your own first aid kit we can do. So, we have a variety of activities, and then if we're bringing in older adults or groups of children or families sometimes we'll do presentations on like the great Chicago fire, fires that had an impact on history and things like that. Joey Thurman: Okay. So, this is more than stop, drop, and roll, right? Brian Failing: Right.</p>