This Sunday, October 4, 2026, the Fire Museum of Memphis will host the Memphis Fire Department's annual memorial service. This ceremony recognizes the 59 Memphis firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty. It is open to the public. We invite you to join us and support the families of the fallen. A reception will follow in the banquet hall on the second floor of the Snowden building. Also, the Fire Museum Gift Shop will be open with several new items available for purchase. Thank you for helping support the Fire Museum of Memphis.
On May 13, 2026, the board of directors of the Fire Museum of Memphis named Bill Adelman as the new Curator/General Manager. Adelman had been serving as Curator/Historian since August 2020. He also served as Operations Manager from 2004-2008 and finally, had been assigned by the Memphis Fire Department administration to serve as liaison during construction of the museum in 1997-98. Adelman retired from the department in 2008 after serving nearly 30 years in the department, primarily in Fire Communications. He is a second-generation historian in his family, following in the footsteps of his father, former District Fire Chief Richard M. Adelman. Adelman has been maintaining historical records of the department and, with the help of volunteers, has created an historical archive room at the museum. It is presently a work-in-progress, containing thousands of documents and photos dating back to the late 1800's. He has also spearheaded fund-raising efforts at the museum including surplus item sales, yard sales, exhibit sponsorships, business donations and the Red Door Fund. Adelman gives much of the credit to his staff of museum volunteers. We look forward to a bright future at the museum with Bill and our newly elected board of directors.