MSFD

Also located off the Town Square is the Main Street Fire Department's Engine Co. 71 (a reference, of course, to the year the Magic Kingdom opened). The Fire House serves as a retail location, featuring some of the most story-specific merchandise of any spot in the park. While it was never a functioning fire station (that job is covered by Reedy Creek Emergency Services, located just behind Frontierland), there are enough props and details here to make one think otherwise.

There's the alarm bell and the fire pole (although this one just stops at the ceiling; the second floor houses offices). There's also a collection of patches, donated by visiting firefighters from around the world.

You may also notice the ladders that support the shelving and the pile of fire hoses forming the fixtures. Be sure to look down as well. That wooden circle on the ground speaks to the period of the place. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, Main Street would have just gotten their motorized fire engine like the one used to carry Guests through town (pictured below, that's me with my son Riley on one of our first visits to the park). Prior to the engine, they would have used a fire wagon pulled by horses. When the wagon returned to the station, the horses would be unhitched and the wagon turned back around on this turntable, ready to head out for the next call.

Head all the way to the back of the shop, and you'll discover the horse stalls, filled with vintage accessories and firefighting equipment.

Also found in the rear is this antique chemical wagon, the century-old equivalent of today's ABC fire extinguishers. Here at the Main Street Fire Department, though, it's been "pressed" into service flattening pennies into fun keepsakes for visiting Guests.