A History of Colonial Firefighting
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Colonial firefighting in the US was growing quickly, as were the colonial cities. Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Charleston all suffered greatly from fires. Efforts were made to organize firefighting units in the 17th century, but not until 1720 did fire companies come to exist. Then by 1775, most cities had excellent volunteer fire departments. Some companies drew social elites, such as Benjamin Franklin's Union Fire Company. Most companies were manned by artisans and laborers who received an exemption from militia and jury duty. The companies used Newsham pumps, together with leather buckets, homemade ladders, iron hooks, and canvas salvage bags. |
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During the colonial firefighting era, night watchmen equipped with noise-making rattles enforced colonial curfews and sounded the alarm. Curfews discouraged torches and required colonists to extinguish their home fires after 8 or 9 in the evening. Curfew is from the French, meaning "cover our fire". Fire wardens, equipped with staff of authority, enforced the fire codes and directed the companies at fires. As always the best firefighting programs were preventive. Towns with strict curfews and building codes that required masonry walls, chimneys, and slate roofs suffered the fewest fires. |
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Only 5% of the American colonial population lived in cities. Most Americans lived on farms or in tiny hamlets. Colonial firefighting in these American cities was fought with buckets of water and homemade ladders only. On the other side of the ocean, until about 1860 the English fire service consisted of volunteers from towns or parishes, private fire fighting brigades from estates or factories, or insurance company fire brigades. Many Church of England parishes maintained volunteer brigades, usually of dubious quality. Landowners and industrialists took pride in organizing their own brigades, which often responded to local fires. Most common were the insurance company brigades, which were England's primary defense against fire until 1860, when Parliament officially required municipal governments to establish fire departments. It is surprising that the world's leading industrial power of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries trailed most other European nations, as well as the United States, in its attention to firefighting. The current English fire service, however, is regarded as one of the world's finest. This information was compiled by the Hall of Flame Museum of Phoenix, Arizona.
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Fire Museums & Related Websites |
The whole world loves Fire Museums. Huge collections of fire trucks and firefighting apparatus are on display in Fire Museums in practically every country in the world. Not only is fire fighting history on display at these Fire Museums, but the love and respect that this apparatus has earned during its time in service.
Fire Museums in AustraliaThe Old Perth Fire Station in Perth houses the Fire Safety Education: www.dfes.wa.gov.au/schooleducation/fehc/Pages/default.aspx Fire Museums in CanadaThe Canadian Fire Fighters Museum is in Port Hope, Ontario: www.firemuseumcanada.com Fire Museum in ChinaThe Fire Services Museum in Macau opened in 1999: www.macaulifestyle.com/city-guide/fire-services-museum-macau Fire Museum in EstoniaThe Estonian Firefighting Museum in Tallinn was established in 1974: www.tuletorjemuuseum.ee/en Fire Museum in IrelandThe Dublin Fire Brigade has a museum in the O'Brien Institute: www.irishmuseums.org Fire Museum in JapanThe Yotsuya firefighting station in Shinjuku City houses an extensive museum spread over several floors. The 5th and 4th floors cover the history of firefighting in Tokyo, whereas the 3rd floor is dedicated to modern firefighting. The basement has several historical firefighting vehicles: www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ts/museum.html Fire Museum in Puerto RicoMuseo Parque de Bombas in Ponce, Puerto Rico, founded in 1990, is housed in a structure built in 1882: www.visitponce.com Fire Museums in TaiwanFire Safety Museum of Taipei City Fire Department in Taipei: www.fsm.119.gov.taipei/index.asp Fire Museums in the United KingdomThe Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum is in Rochdale and opened in 1983: www.gmfsmuseum.org.uk Fire Museums in the United StatesThe African American Firefighter Museum in Los Angeles, California: www.aaffmuseum.org
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A History of Firefighting Traditions
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Throughout its history, firefighting traditions have never been abandoned over the centuries. Firefighters feel this connection to the past very deeply and strive to carry on these traditions in their careers. As an example, every department uses the Maltese Cross in some way or other, either in the design of their department insignia or badge. The origins of the Maltese Cross date back to the time of the Crusades. Most fire companies have a logo or slogan that defines the heritage of the fire company. These logos are an important part of the fire company and they distinguish it from other fire companies. The logos contribute to the morale and camaraderie found in the best fire companies and can be found on the firehouse itself (inside and outside), the rig, and on patches. Firefighters are fiercely proud of these logos. The Dalmatian, a unique part of firefighting traditions dates back to when horses were used to pull steamers and hose wagons. The Dalmatian dogs were used to keep the horses calm at fires, by running around the horses and scaring away other animals that would bother the horses. These Dalmatians bonded with the firefighters and horses alike. There is no need for a Dalmatian with today’s fire apparatus, yet we still see them in many firehouses. |
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Each October 9th, the people of Chicago commemorate "The Great Chicago Fire" of 1871 with parades and ceremonies. In 1911, The Fire Marshals Association of North America officially declared that date as Fire Prevention Day. Ontario became the first jurisdiction to observe Fire Prevention Week during the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. This practice continues to this day in communities throughout North America as a constant reminder that prevention is the ultimate cure.
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The most widely-accepted reason that fire engines are painted red dates back to the 1800s, a time when there was much competition between the fire brigades of neighboring cities and towns. The firefighters of each brigade took great pride in their fire pumps. Each brigade wanted their rig to stand out by being the cleanest, by having the most brass, or being a regal color. Because red was the most expensive color, that's what color most crews chose to paint their pumps. Other firefighting traditions cite painting fire engines red going back to the early 1920s. Henry Ford wanted to make cars as inexpensively as possible and only offered cars in one color: black. With all of these black vehicles on the road, the fire service began painting their vehicles red in an effort to stand out. Today, fire engine manufacturers offer their equipment in a variety of colors and it is not uncommon to see white, yellow, blue, orange, green, or even black fire engines, in addition to red. While some studies hint that colors such as lime-green may be more visible than traditional red, the vast majority of fire departments continue to use red fire engines, a color instantly recognized by everyone as that of a fire engine. Until the 1980s it was common for firefighters to wear black helmets. Only chiefs had a different color, which was white. Officers had an emblem on their black helmets. Now, new helmet designs offer a choice of colors. Captains often have red helmets and Chiefs usually white. A national consensus is emerging but some departments apparently are clinging to their own traditions. A helmet is a very personal thing to a firefighter, and career firefighters are allowed to keep the helmet issued to them by the department upon retirement. |
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The term "Jake" is affectionate New England slang for a Firefighter. This word was first used as a reference to firemen in the early 20th century in the Greater Boston area, but its origins are officially unknown. While it is now a widely accepted term in the fire service, it is almost exclusively used in New England, and almost exclusively used to bestow great praise and the highest levels of respect. To be called a "Good Jake" is the highest form of praise a Boston area firefighter can possibly receive from a peer.
Long before telephones, radios, and the Internet was invented, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate. They used special codes to receive fire alarms from those once-familiar red fire alarm boxes which stood on practically every street corner of America. When a firefighter was killed, or "fell", in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. This would be tapped out as five measured dashes - then a pause - then five measured dashes - then a pause - then five more measured dashes.
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This came to be called the "Tolling of the Bell" and was broadcast over the telegraph fire alarm circuits to all station houses in the vicinity. This was done for the purpose of notification and as a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities. Such symbolism has been a time-honored fire service tradition and is repeated at each service of a fallen firefighter. The firefighting tradition of bagpipes played at fire department and police department funerals in the United States goes back over one hundred fifty years. When the Irish and Scottish immigrated to the United States, they brought many of their traditions with them. One of these was the bagpipe, often played at Celtic weddings, funerals, and ceilis (dances). It wasn’t until the great potato famine and massive Irish immigration to the East Coast of the United States that the tradition of the pipes really took hold in the fire department. Today, the tradition is universal and not just for the Irish or Scottish. The pipes have come to be a distinguishing feature of a fallen hero’s funeral. |
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A History of the Maltese CrossMost American fire departments use the Maltese Cross as a logo on badges and shoulder patches. A variety of badges went into use in American fire departments beginning in Boston in the 1830s. Most of these badge designs looked like miniature helmet front pieces. In 1865 the newly organized professional fire department of New York City introduced a cap badge based on a variety of the Maltese Cross. |
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This design had been used as a logo by several corps of the Union Army in the Civil War. It is likely that a New York fire officer or commissioner with a background in the Union Army introduced this variant of the Maltese Cross as part of a campaign to organize the department on semi-military lines. The new department used uniforms that closely resembled U.S. Army uniforms as well as a military organization and rank structure; companies, battalions, divisions, lieutenants, captains, etc. In 1870 the department settled on the version that is used to the present day. By 1900 most departments had adopted one of the Maltese Cross variants as their standard badges.
Some historians like to associate the use of the Maltese Cross in fire departments to the Knights of Saint John in the 12th century, which used the Maltese Cross as a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. The story is hundreds of years old when a courageous band of crusaders known as 'The Knights of St. John' fought the Saracens for possession of the holy land, and encountered a new weapon unknown to European warriors. It was a simple, but a horrible device of war; it wrought excruciating pain and agonizing death upon the fighters for the cross. The Saracen's weapon was fire. Though these men were not firemen, their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders who awarded each a badge of honor - a cross similar to the one firemen wear today. Since the Knights of St. John lived for close to four centuries on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea named Malta, the cross came to be known as the Maltese Cross and a symbol of protection. The knights organized some of the world's earliest hospitals in addition to their military activities. To this day, the Order operates ambulance services in Europe, however, they are not firefighters.
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A History of the Sprinkler System
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Fire sprinklers had yet to find their way into firefighting until after the 1850s, meaning there truly was no effective way to extinguish an established fire in a structure. In most cases, the structure was a total loss unless the fire was contained early on. As the United States became an industrialized nation, its new factories burned to the ground almost as rapidly as they were being built. At the industrial town of Lowell, Massachusetts, the Chief Engineer of the city's water power supply company, James Francis, was the first know person to invent a sprinkler system of perforated pipes connected to elevated water tanks. During a fire, water was released rapidly into overhead pipes which then applied the water to the fire. Then by the 1870s, sprinkler systems began using special delivery heads that were only triggered when the temperature reached about 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Industrial fire insurance companies soon demanded this type of sprinkler system for all properties they insured. By the twentieth century, however, the vast majority of American factories were outfitted with modern sprinkler systems, although small firms, commercial buildings, hotels, schools, and residential homes were still often unprotected. Thousands of people have lost their lives in building fires that could have been extinguished in just a few minutes by a sprinkler system. During the past twenty years or more, many cities have begun to require the installation of sprinkler systems in all commercial structures. Some cities, such as Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona, now require sprinklers for all public facilities including new homes as well. Reportedly, no one has ever lost their life in an American home equipped with a working Sprinkler system. This information was obtained from the magnificent Hall of Flame Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, currently the largest fire museum in the United States.
For more information about sprinkler systems visit: https://www.nfpa.org/ |