California Fire Museum’s Orange annex presented to Villa Park Council; leaders tout safety education for children

Randy Marcel, director of the California Fire Museum Safety Learning Center (Orange Annex), thanked Villa Park leaders and described a recently signed second‑year agreement with the City of Orange that keeps historic fire apparatus and a safety learning center open to the public and to school groups. "We will be open every 2nd and 4th Saturday," Marcel said, and staff are working on a pilot with the Orange Unified School District to bring students to the facility for safety education.

Marcel said the exhibit includes donated fire apparatus and prevention trailers provided by partners including the Orange County Fire Authority and utilities, and he credited local volunteers and contractors for repairs completed without taxpayer expense. "To have that here is just a godsend to the region and to the city of Orange and to all of Orange County," he said. He and museum leaders asked the community to connect the museum with potential donors to sustain programming and educational visits.

Mayor Wu and council members thanked the museum leaders and invited a photo; the museum said it is open for community programming and will expand training and learning‑center activities in the coming months. The council did not take formal action on the museum presentation during the meeting; it was received as an informational item.