Feral Gifter

Firefighters museum finds a home in shopping mall

St. Louis Mills is a favorite destination for bargain hunters, shopaholics and … little kids?

Home to a skating rink, a go-cart track and a climbing wall, St. Louis Mills also features the First Due Fire Museum, a small storefront operation that showcases memorabilia, working equipment and merchandise.

“Yeah, we get a lot of kids,” said Eric Kiehl, one of the museum’s founders and assistant chief of the Hazelwood Fire Department. “Not everyone gets to visit a fire station, so they don’t know what gear is used. Here, they can try on a coat and feel the weight of a nozzle.”……

It’s website, www.firstduefiremuseum.com, says “The Museum promotes fire safety education and has interactive stations. It also displays many items of firefighting memorabilia and collectibles from the past to the present. Items include a 1820 hose cart, breathing apparatus, helmets, hose, toys, a 10′ aerial tip from a real 75′ ladder truck and much more.”