Robert T. Burns (1914-1989) was a battalion chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department, known for his devotion to fire fighting and for his propensity to carry around a camera for snapping photographs of the blazes he fought. The Robert T. Burns slides and photograph albums, circa 1950-1985, consist of about 70 slide carousels and 17 photograph albums documenting Philadelphia fires, fires outside Philadelphia, firefighters' organizations and social events, and other fire-related subjects.