Steven Huntington and Tod Dorris gather up CAL FIRE memorabilia to put in display cases at the new CAL FIRE Museum. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

Aspiring firefighters training in Ione will now have a chance to appreciate the legacy of the men who came before them thanks to a new museum recently constructed at the California Department of Forestry Academy on Highway 104.

The movement to preserve CAL FIRE's history started at the agency's Bernardino Unit Headquarters facility in spring 2000. That's when Jerry Glover became the museum manager for a large collection of old CAL FIRE equipment and items that had been used to rescue humans and property over generations of the department's existence. Glover was aided by help and contributions of many people, which activity culminated with a grand opening of his vision in 2005, just after the CAL FIRE celebrated its 100th anniversary in May of that year.

"Now the plan to have satellite museum sites has begun," Glover said. "Robert Monsen in Ione has allowed two wall and two floor cases to be installed in the halls of the classrooms."

On June 13, four retired CAL FIRE men who live in Amador County got to work at the academy in Ione. They spent the early afternoon collecting vintage forestry memorabilia, as well as filling cases and setting up displays. All the costs for the display cases were donated, with no cost to the state.

Retired CAL FIRE employee Steve Huntington built the massive wood display cases for the museum himself, stressing that not one penny for the project came from taxpayers.

"This is something a bunch of us recently retired guys have been working on," he said. "It's partly for the young guys who are studying here and partly for us to remember where we came from, but we know there's a budget mess right now and we made sure everything was paid for and put together by volunteers."

For Huntington, seeing a museum built celebrating the traditions of CAL FIRE has been a dream 20 years in the making. "Personally, the history of our outfit has always been a huge interest of mine," he recalled. "Over the years, I've made sure to save a lot of equipment that was out of service and things we've used."

Among the items Huntington's gathered up are old helmets, fire packs, license plates, radiation detectors and even the very first huge, bulky laptop that CAL FIRE issued. One of the main centerpieces that was hung on June 13 was a first-generation CAL FIRE uniform with an original badge donated by Walt Nutting, who worked for CAL FIRE for 32 years, starting in 1952. Assisting Huntington with the display were retired CAL FIRE employees Sherdean Swift and Tod Dorris.

"We're getting there," Swift said as the men put the first items up. "It's going to look good here when its finished."

Anyone interested in contributing toward the maintenance of the displays at the academy may do so by sending their contribution to the CAL FIRE Museum, 3800 Sierra Way, San Bernardino, CA 92405.