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History of Fire Fighting

 Man and fire have had an interesting relationship since the very beginning. “ From the time man discovered fire, he has also battled to control the flames.” (Firefighter Foundation) 

The very first instances of firefighting can be traced back all the way to the second century in ancient Rome. Rome has been described as The City of Fire as it was said to have had 100 fires daily with at least 2 of them being sizable threats to the city. To help avoid the city from constantly burning, the city hired 700 paid firefighters to not only fight fire but to enforce fire prevention laws. 

Fast forward to the 17th century, the Great Fire of London that burned for four straight days. The fire kick started the beginnings of the fire service we have today. Shortly after the fire, the first fire insurance companies began popping up. People who paid these companies were given a fire mark or badge on their building which meant that if their building were to catch fire, the company would put it out. This meant that all buildings without insurance were just left to burn. 

Did you know that George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were both volunteer firefighters before they were presidents? Benjamin Franklin also helped to establish the first volunteer fire department in 1736. Volunteer departments would show up to fires as fast as possible because insurance companies would only pay the department who showed up first. This was problematic because oftentimes two departments would show up and just brawl, meaning no one was putting out the fires. 

In 1853 the first government paid fire department was established in Cincinnati with professional full time firefighters. Earlier fire was put out with what was called the bucket brigade, which is exactly as it sounds like, people passing buckets back and forth between a water source and a fire. By this time there were steam fire engines with pumps and hoses that were much more efficient than the good ole bucket brigade. 

The fire service has molded and adapted throughout history and will continue to do so with modern advancements and technology all with the end goal of protecting people and their property. 




References

           BME Fire. (2017). The History of Fire Engines: From Primitive Pumps to Advanced Technology. Bmefire.com. https://www.bmefire.com/history-of-fire-engines/

                      Britannica . (2019). Great Fire of London| disaster, London, England, United Kingdom [1666].                       In  Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Fire-of-London

                                  Firefighter Foundation. (n.d.). History of Firefighting – Fire Fighters Foundation. Firefighter                                         Foundation. https://www.firefighterfoundation.org.uk/history/

                                              Merrimack. (n.d.). The History Of Firefighting | Merrimack NH. Www.merrimacknh.gov.                                                            https://www.merrimacknh.gov/about-fire-rescue/pages/the-history-of-firefighting

                                                          Products, T. (2021, August 20). A History of Fire Apparatus Equipment - Troy Products. Troy Products.                                                  https://troyproducts.com/a-history-of-fire-apparatus-equipment/


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