Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society

What Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society does

The Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1998 to memorialize fallen Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters, preserve historical firefighting apparatus, and educate the public on fire and life safety. It operates three museum sites: the Hollywood Museum at Old Fire Station 27 (opened 2001), the Harbor Museum at Old Fire Station 36 in San Pedro (opened 2003), and the Ralph J. Scott Fireboat Museum, the latter centered on a National Historic Landmark fireboat retired from LAFD service in 2003. Admission is free at all locations.

The society's underlying assets are physical and historical rather than technological: a curated collection of 30+ pieces of historical apparatus, thousands of artifacts, and perpetual institutional access to LAFD heritage materials. Programming includes museum exhibits, the FireSmart:LA fire and life safety curriculum delivered in partnership with MySafe:LA, and memorial services for fallen firefighters.

Revenue is generated through a distributed mix of individual donations, memorial brick paver sales (with tiers from $150 to $100,000), event rentals at the museum sites, and gift shop sales. The organization is volunteer-led with 1–10 personnel and partners with the Port of Los Angeles, LAFRA, LAFPVA, the LAFD Foundation, and MySafe:LA. The most significant active initiative is a multi-million-dollar permanent preservation facility for the Ralph J. Scott being developed with the Port of Los Angeles.

Name

Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society

Legal name

Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society

Website

https://lafdmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates three free-admission museums preserving LAFD history, firefighter memorials, and historical fire apparatus across Hollywood, San Pedro, and the Ralph J. Scott fireboat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Museum Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

Keywords

• Fire service museums
• Historical preservation
• Public safety education
• Fallen firefighter memorials
• Nonprofit heritage organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations at various levels (First Alarm $25, Second Alarm $50, Third Alarm $100, and custom amounts) through its 'Answer the Call' donation program. Donations help preserve LAFD history, maintain memorial facilities, and support restoration of Old Fireboat #2.
2. Memorial Brick Pavers: Sale of commemorative brick pavers for the Fallen Firefighters Memorial plaza. Donation levels range from $150 (Supporter) to $100,000 (Benefactor), with options for granite badges and Wall of Flame recognition.
3. Event Rentals: Rental of Hollywood Museum second floor and Ralph J. Scott fireboat facility for events including team building, adult birthday parties, anniversaries, and school tours. The Harbor Museum facility is not available for rental.
4. Gift Shop Sales: Sale of LAFD merchandise, authentic goods, and memorial bracelets at museum gift shops open during museum hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LAFDHS operates three free-admission museum sites (Hollywood Museum at Old Fire Station 27, Harbor Museum at Old Fire Station 36 in San Pedro, and the Ralph J. Scott fireboat) that preserve and exhibit more than 30 pieces of firefighting apparatus and artifacts spanning from the 1880s to the present. The society runs the Fallen Firefighters Memorial plaza with a purchasable memorial paver program, delivers fire and life safety education through the FireSmart:LA curriculum for elementary school students, and hosts event rentals and gift shop sales at its facilities.

Product overview

The Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society operates a multi-site museum complex consisting of three primary locations: the Hollywood Museum at Old Fire Station 27, the Harbor Museum at Old Fire Station 36 in San Pedro, and the Ralph J. Scott historic fireboat. The society preserves over 30 pieces of firefighting apparatus, thousands of artifacts dating to the 1880s, and hundreds of hours of film and video. The product portfolio includes physical museum admission, educational programs through the William Rolland Firefighter's Educational Institute and FireSmart:LA partnership, memorial services including the Fallen Firefighters Memorial with purchasable pavers, facility rentals for events, volunteer programs, and a donation system with tiered giving levels. The organization functions as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) focused on memorializing fallen firefighters and educating the public on fire and life safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hollywood Museum: Main museum located at old Fire Station 27 in Hollywood, featuring firefighting artifacts, apparatus, and the Fallen Firefighters Memorial
• Harbor Museum
• Ralph J. Scott Fireboat Museum

Products and services

• Hollywood Museum
• Harbor Museum
• Ralph J. Scott Fireboat Museum
• Fallen Firefighters Memorial
• Fire & Safety Education Programs
• Memorial Paver Program
• Facility Rentals
• Museum Gift Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 139+ years of LAFD history preserved and displayed to the public
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Port of Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Port of Los Angeles is a key partner in the preservation of the Ralph J. Scott fireboat. POLA has begun developing a multi-million dollar facility to house the rehabilitated vessel as part of waterfront redevelopment. The harbor museum is located in San Pedro within the Port district.
• Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association (LAFRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAFRA is listed as a partner organization, supporting the LAFD Historical Society's mission to preserve fire service history and honor fallen firefighters.
• Los Angeles Fire & Police Veterans Association (LAFPVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAFPVA partners with LAFDHS to support veteran firefighters and preserve fire service heritage.
• Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAFD is the primary organizational partner. LAFDHS preserves artifacts and intellectual property related to LAFD. The organization operates from former LAFD fire stations and maintains the fireboat.
• Los Angeles Fire Department FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LAFD Foundation supports the fire department and related organizations in their mission to protect Los Angeles communities.
• MySafe:LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial education partner for LAFD producing the FireSmart:LA program focused on teaching 4th and 5th grade students about fire and life safety. Collaborates with LAFD Historical Society on educational initiatives.
• LAFIRE.comminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAFIRE.com collects and presents LAFD history, serving as an additional resource for Los Angeles fire service historical documentation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FDNY Fire Zone: FDNY's interactive fire safety education and heritage center in downtown Manhattan. Directly comparable as a fire-department-branded museum and public education facility operated in partnership with a major U.S. city fire department.
• National Fallen Firefighters Foundation: National nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring America's fallen firefighters, operating memorial programs and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Closely comparable in mission, memorialization, and donor-funded fire-service heritage preservation.

Emerging players

• National WWII Museum: New Orleans-based specialized history museum focused on a single subject domain (WWII). Comparable as a thematic heritage museum that scaled from a niche subject into a major cultural institution through donor tiers, memorial programs, and educational partnerships—a relevant growth model for LAFDHS.
• USS Iowa Museum: San Pedro, Los Angeles-based museum ship and heritage attraction on the LA waterfront. Closely comparable as a Los Angeles harbor-area preserved-vessel museum that combines artifact display, school tours, and event rentals, and operates in the same geographic catchment as the Harbor Museum and Ralph J. Scott fireboat.

Regional players

• Autry Museum of the American West: Los Angeles-based museum focused on the American West with collection-based exhibitions and educational programming. Comparable as a regional heritage museum operating in the same LA cultural-tourism market and competing for the same visitor and donor pool.
• California Historical Society: California-focused historical society and museum organization headquartered in San Francisco. Comparable as a state/regionally scoped heritage nonprofit that operates exhibitions, archival collections, and educational programming, but covers broader California history rather than a single department.
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA): Major Los Angeles art and cultural institution. Competes with LAFDHS for the same LA cultural-tourism audience, donor dollars, and media attention, and serves as a benchmark for visitor programming, membership tiers, and event-rental revenue mechanics.

Others

• National Fire Protection Association: U.S.-based standards-setting and fire safety education organization. Not a museum, but a key fire-service ecosystem stakeholder whose public education mission and brand adjacency overlap with LAFDHS's fire and life safety programming.
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC): U.S.-based professional association for fire service leadership. Comparable as a fire-service ecosystem organization with strong education, training, and historical documentation programs that share audiences and partners with LAFDHS.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Smithsonian flagship American history museum in Washington, D.C. Overlaps with LAFDHS on artifact preservation and public history programming but operates at vastly greater scale, federal funding, and audience reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100069150967916
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/los-angeles-fire-department-historical-society

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society