named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Annual Santa Rescue
Community fundraising event featuring a festive demonstration by FDNY Ladder Co. 1, bringing families together to celebrate and learn about fire safety.
Colonial Firefighting and the American Revolution Exhibit
Exhibit exploring early firefighting history in New York City, based on research for Bruce Twickler's book and curated by the museum.
Fire Safety Symposium
Educational initiative for NYCHA Resident Leaders focusing on fire prevention, building safety, and emergency preparedness in public housing.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Fire Service History Preservation 3 activities
- Curate permanent and special exhibitions on firefighting historyMaintains permanent exhibits illustrating the evolution of firefighting from colonial bucket brigades to modern techniques and equipment, including displays of historical firefighting equipment and modern tools. Produces special themed exhibitions such as "Colonial Firefighting and the American Revolution" and "Strike Up the Band: A Tribute to the Bands of the Bravest," featuring original research, artifacts, photography, and multimedia presentations.
- Operate and maintain the New York City Fire MuseumOperates a museum in a historic firehouse building that houses over 30,000 firefighting-related artifacts and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors annually from across the U.S. and nearly every country worldwide. The museum features two exhibit floors documenting the history of firefighting in New York City from the volunteer era to the present.
- Provide online access to museum resources and programmingProvides online access to information about museum events, special exhibits, and programming, and maintains an online catalog with over 8,000 searchable images of firefighting artifacts and history.
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Fire Safety Education & Prevention 3 activities
- Deliver fire safety education tours in partnership with FDNYOperates a fire safety education tour program in collaboration with the New York City Fire Department, teaching fire prevention and safe escape strategies. The tours are offered on specific days and times for groups of 15 to 50 participants.
- Host community events and fundraising activitiesHosts annual events such as the Santa Rescue event with FDNY Ladder Co. 1, the 6th Annual Golf Outing, and private viewings with silent auctions to engage the community and raise funds. Also hosted the first-ever NYCHA Fire Safety Symposium for resident leaders.
- Provide fire safety education programs for school children and the publicOffers fire safety education programs for K–12 school groups using a model apartment with artificial smoke and black-lighted fire hazards, classroom instruction, and interactive tools. Also operates a Fire Safety Learning Center with four interactive devices that teach fire prevention, home fire safety, and escape strategies, including personalized fire escape planning.
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Guided Historic Site Tours 1 activity
- Conduct guided and self-guided public toursOffers guided historical tours of the museum’s first floor, “The Evolution of Firefighting,” led by retired New York City firefighters, as well as self-guided group tours for parties of 15 or more. Also provides fire safety tours and scheduled group tours with advanced reservation.
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Historical and Genealogical Research 1 activity
- Conduct historical research and data visualization for exhibitionsEngages in original historical research to support exhibitions, including the development of data visualizations based on digitized historical records such as a graph of all fires in New York from 1777 to 1783.
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Disaster and Line-of-Duty Memorialization 1 activity
- Maintain memorial exhibits honoring FDNY membersHouses a memorial to the 343 FDNY and FDNY-EMS members who died on September 11, 2001, and displays firefighting artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center site.
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Event Venue Rental Services 1 activity
- Offer event space rentals and themed birthday partiesProvides rental of a 3,000 square foot event space for private functions and offers “Junior Firefighter” birthday party packages for children.
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Museum and Historical Gift Shops 1 activity
- Operate museum gift shop and online storeOperates an onsite and online gift shop selling FDNY-themed clothing, toys, books, and other merchandise.
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Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
- Produce historical podcast and public programsProduces the "Throwback FDNY" podcast featuring historical stories from the Fire Department in collaboration with the FDNY. Hosts public programs such as live tapings of interview shows, panel discussions, and special opening events for exhibitions.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$411K
Contributions & grants$342K83%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$11K3%
Other revenue$58K
expenses
Total expenses$495K
Program expenses61%
Admin / overhead36%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$334K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$390K
Cash$313K
Investments$0
Liabilities$48K
Net assets$342K
Liquid reserves7.6 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -15.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PATRICIA MURPHY | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $131K |
board members · 14
- BRUCE TWICKER — DIRECTOR
- DOMINICK DERUBBIO — DIRECTOR
- DOROTHY MARKS — VICE PRESIDENT
- JAMES VREELAND — VOLUNTEER LAISON
- JEANNE D'ONOFRIO — SECRETARY
- JOHN HODGENS — EX OFFICIO
- JUDITH JAMISON — DIRECTOR
- LAURA KAVANAGH — EX OFFICIO
- PATRICK MAHANEY JR — DIRECTOR
- PATRICK STAHL — DIRECTOR
- PAUL MAGDA — TREASURER
- RAYMOND BERMUDEZ — DIRECTOR
- THEODORE GRANT JR — PRESIDENT
- WILLIAM NORDEN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 26
Who they work with
- Board of Regents of the NYS Department of Education Government — Granted the New York City Fire Museum an Absolute Charter in 2015.
- Bruce Twickler Partner — Collaborated on the development of the Colonial Firefighting exhibition through Docema, LLC.
- Bruce Twickler Partner — Collaborated on the development of the special exhibition.
- Colonial Williamsburg Partner — Provided a reconstructed model of the first fire engine for display.
- Cool Culture Network — Collaborates to provide free admission access to members.
- Deutsche Bank Partner — Partnered with the museum to host public displays of historic artifacts from its collection.
- Devan Calabrez Partner — Collaborated on the development of the Colonial Firefighting exhibition.
- Devan Calabrez Partner — Collaborated on the development of the special exhibition.
- Docema, LLC Partner — Collaborated on the development of the Colonial Firefighting exhibition.
- Docema, LLC Partner — Partnered with the museum to develop the special exhibition.
- Engine 24 Partner — Collaborates with Engine 24 to highlight its historical significance and role in the community.
- Engine 55 Partner — Collaborates with Engine 55 to highlight its historical significance and role in the community.
- Executive Director Government — Primary contact for press inquiries and media coordination.
- FDNY Government — Maintains an ongoing institutional relationship with the Museum through joint programming, participation in events, and shared fire safety education goals.
- FDNY Partner — Collaborates on the production of the "Throwback FDNY" podcast.
- FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit Partner — Collaborates with the museum to provide fire safety education programs for school groups.
- FDNY Ladder Co. 1 Partner — Collaborates with the Museum on the Annual Santa Rescue event, showcasing firefighting skills and engaging the community.
- FDNY-EMS Government — Honors 343 members of FDNY-EMS who died on September 11, 2001, in a dedicated memorial exhibit.
- Golf Event Planning Partner — Partner organization that collaborates with the Museum to plan and execute the annual golf outing.
- Ladder 20 Partner — Collaborates with Ladder 20 to highlight its historical significance and role in the community.
- Ladder 5 Partner — Collaborates with Ladder 5 to highlight its historical significance and role in the community.
- Ladder 8 Partner — Collaborates with Ladder 8 to highlight its historical significance and role in the community.
- New York City Fire Department Partner — Collaborates on fire safety education tours and historical programming.
- New York City Fire Department Partner — Collaborates with the museum to deliver fire safety education tours, including active participation by New York City firefighters.
- New York City Housing Authority Partner — Collaborated with the Museum on the NYCHA Fire Safety Symposium to educate resident leaders on fire and building safety.
- Public Housing Community Fund Partner — Co-hosted the first-ever NYCHA Fire Safety Symposium with the Museum to deliver fire safety training to public housing resident leaders.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Engaged Learning Through Retired Firefightersmethodology: community-engaged-educationBy employing retired FDNY firefighters as volunteer docents and storytellers, the museum enhances educational authenticity and visitor engagement because firsthand narratives build trust, emotional connection, and credibility in the learning experience.
- Experiential Fire Safety Educationmethodology: experiential-educationBy combining classroom instruction with hands-on simulation in a mock home environment, the museum reinforces fire safety knowledge and safe escape behaviors in children because experiential learning increases retention and real-world application of critical safety skills.
- Immersive Historical Storytellingmethodology: immersive_exhibitionBy using multimedia, 3D modeling, animated timelines, and immersive exhibitions with authentic tools and mannequins, the museum brings firefighting history to life because sensory-rich environments deepen visitor understanding and emotional connection to historical narratives.