International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum
The International Towing & Recovery Hall Of Fame and Museum features restored antique wreckers and equipment from the tow truck industry. The museum also displays related toys, tools, equipment, and pictorial histories.[1]
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| Established | October 1995 |
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| Location | Chattanooga, TN |
| Coordinates | 35.016923°N 85.323146°W |
| President | Glenn Thompson |
| Website | International Towing & Recovery Hall Of Fame and Museum |
The first tow truck was created about 3.5 miles (6 km) away from the museum at the Ernest Holmes Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The collection of tow trucks at the museum ranges from the early days of the automobile and includes miscellaneous antique toys and memorabilia.
The International Towing and Recovery Museum was dedicated in the fall of 1995 and is a non-profit organization.
The job of the towing operator is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. These men and women work perilously close to high-speed traffic and routinely face the danger of impaired, inattentive and distracted drivers. The towing industry loses approximately 60 operators annually — a number that is staggering to comprehend.
In 2005, the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum established its Survivor Fund to provide immediate financial support to families of towing operators who lose their lives in the line of service in our industry. Through fundraising efforts and the generosity of corporations, individuals and industry associations, the Survivor Fund began providing support for families in 2007.
The goal of the Survivor Fund is to create a strong, secure, perpetual offering when tragedies occur. Each time a towing operator is killed in the line of service, the Survivor Fund supports the families who find themselves in need.
On September 9, 2006, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, members of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum (ITRHFM) gathered on the museum grounds for the official dedication ceremony of the Wall of the Fallen, a monument to honor towing operators killed in the line of service.
The mission statement of the Wall of the Fallen reads:
To honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to generate public awareness of the dangers involved in the towing and recovery industry and to permanently record and commemorate those involved in fatalities in the towing and recovery industry.