Around thirty trucks, vans, machines, but also 52 “towable” motor pumps and around thirty hand pumps: the Arsenal is the fire brigade museum in Eure-et-Loir. Around 1,600 pieces, from uniform buttons to large scales, are exhibited in this 1,300m² space. Outfits, flashing lights, various materials, every corner of the museum conceals a treasure, such as “the very first helmet of the Châteaudun firefighters from 1805”, says Pascal Bulois, the president of the Arsenal.
A pump offered by Napoleon III
From the French Revolution to 1990, 250 years of history are summarized here. Some parts are missing, particularly those used during World War II. “It is difficult to find this equipment, because it was requisitioned, sold, or scrapped,” assures the enthusiast. Eure-et-Loir has been an active department for firefighters. The municipalities were committed to the citizens and regularly renewed the equipment. »
At the heart of the museum sits a superb Laffly truck from 1923, used by the Brou firefighters. Inherited from the Paris firefighters, “12 men could fit inside,” comments the president. This truck “is a prototype but its engine is unfortunately dead”, regrets the retiree.
Also read: A bar and a hotel in the former police hotel in Chartres!
A little further on, dozens of hand pumps are lined up. One of them was offered by Napoleon III to the small village of Châtelliers-Notre-Dame, near Illiers-Combray. “The emperor regularly came to see a suitor. He usually spent the night there, but eventually it got people talking,” the president recounts with passion. “To silence the village, Napoleon III had this pump made in Chartres to offer it to this commune. A village of this size would never have been able to purchase such equipment. The particularity is that he affixed his coin, the famous Napoleon III, on the manufacturer's plate. »
After several postponements, the museum officially opens on April 27. Entrance is set at €6. It is open every Saturday from April to the end of October from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Contact at 06.73.71.01.74.