Fire Service History

The fire service has been around for over 2,000 years and there are fire departments all over the world. Regardless of the location of any fire station every firefighter shares the same roots. The fire service first started back in rome in 6 AD. Emperor Caesar Augustus formed the first fire fighting organization called the Vigiles. The Vigils were former slaves and also served as watchmen who patrolled through the city during the night. Each crew member had a certain job some of which included removing burning roofs, responsibility of for the supervision and operation of water pumps, firefighter who supplied water to pumps and organized bucket chains, and the emperor who was the fire chief. Over the course of hundreds of years the fire service has changed through tactics and technology from the United Kingdom all the way to the united states. Every fire service has gone through hardships that have helped pave the way for future firefighting tactics as well as new technology.
The devastating fires that took place in boston in 1653 and 1676 inspired the city to take measures in fire fighting more seriously. In 1736 Benjamin Franklin developed the Union Fire Company. During america's development Fire departments in New York would send out runners to cover the hydrant closest to the fire to prevent other fire stations from taking money from the insurance
companies for fighting the fire. Despite some of the extreme hardships that the United States has encountered in regards to fighting fires there wasn’t a full time pay until 1850.
In the United Kingdom buildings that were insured were marked with a badge. The badge was a symbol that showed local fire services they were eligible for firefighting. Buildings without the markings would of course be left to burn. However if a building was next to a burning building that had a badge it would usually end up being worked on as well to prevent further spread of the fire. Like the United States the United Kingdom had its own struggles which left them to take firefighting more seriously. The United Kingdom didn’t develop fire insurance until after the Great Fire of London in 1666.
From the beginning of fire service in Rome firefighters have developed new tools to fight fires. The Vigiles in Rome would use a large hook to remove the roofs of burning buildings. It wasn’t until 1721 that the first fire engine was developed a rectangle box that was hand pumped supplied enough power to extinguish fires at greater distance than before its time. Today we have fire trucks that can hold a thousand gallons of water. We have helicopters and planes that can drop water or chemicals to combat in the heart of fires in forests. For over 2,000 years there has always been firefighters.
From the tools we use to the tactics there has been drastic change in the fire service since its beginnings. Fire departments now work together regardless of units as back in the 1800’s. It’s no surprise why fire fighting is so effective in today's society especially when one takes a look at the past and history of firefighting. Regardless of what race, sex, or country a firefighter operates from every fireman and woman share the same history. Every firefighter mission is to save lives and that has been heart of firefighting since the beginning of its
history.