Where was the first professional fire department?
depends. How do you define a "professional fire department"?
Today all firefighters are considered "professional".
They are divided between "volunteer" or "career" categories.
Both are trained and have the same responsibilities
and equipment standards.
The first full time department, in western culture, might have been in Rome
some 2000 years ago. They had people who were selected to roam the city and
not only sound the alarm and put out fires but enforce fire codes (sometimes
with corporal punishment). These were called the "Corps of Vigiles".
Unfortunately they were not exactly a "paid" department. Augustus
Caesar formed this corps from slaves.
are many claims to who would be the "first" "modern" "professional" fire
brigade or department. What is "modern" or
what is "professional"?
for the first "professional fire brigade" is
often given to Napoleon Bonaparte. While French emperor,
he ordered that a division of the French army known
as Sapeurs-Pompiers be used to protect Paris with
30 manual fire pumps around 1800. But there were
people who were paid to provide some form of fire
or suppression service, in Paris, many years prior
to that. In 1699 François du Mouriez took
interest in a better pump, fire hose and some other
advancements, and provided 12 fire pumps to the city
of Paris to become the first "fire chief" (director)
of des pompes de la Ville de Paris in 1716.
The French fire brigade was known as, "Compagnie
des gardes-pompes" (literally the "Company
of Pump Guards"). The French word for pumper, "pompier" became
the name for French firefighters to this day. On
March 11, 1733 the French government proclaimed that
the service of the fire brigades would be free of
charge. Prior to this there was a fee and people
often avoid calling in order to avoid being charged.
Scotland, claims to be the
first organized municipal fire brigade
in the world, when the Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment
was formed in 1824, led by James Braidwood. London
followed in 1832 with the London Fire Engine Establishment.
Clicking on a link about James
Braidwood proclaims that he "is credited
with the development of the modern municipal fire
service." But this ignores the fact that Boston,
as mentioned below, had a crew who was paid to maintain
their one pump and respond to fires as early as 1678
and the fact that London established "fire companies" after
the Great Fire of London in 1666. But in fairness,
James Braidwood probably did contribute some major
advances in firefighting. Prior to him, most firefighting
was done from the streets. He pioneered and developed
the strategy of entering and fighting fires from
within the structure. One might assume that this
advancement was made possible due to the invention
of better pumps in 1725 and dependable leather fire
hose in 1672.
do know that Cincinnati was the first American city
to replace volunteers with the horse-drawn steam
fire engine and to form a paid career fire department.
This occurred April 1, 1853. http://www.cfdhistory.com/
Where was the first American Fire Department?
The first American (volunteer)
fire department company is often credited to Ben
Franklin, around 1736, in Philadelphia. This started
as a "club" or co-op, to protect each other's homes
in the event of a fire. But there were organizations
resembling firefighting "clubs", also known
as "Mutual Fire Societies" in Boston prior
to this. Boston also had "Firewards" as
early as 1711. As early as 1678, Boston had some
fire fighting equipment and a paid crew to maintain
it and respond to fires. In 1648, New York, and a
few other cities, had a volunteer "rattle watch" who
patrolled the streets. If a fire was discovered these
people would sound an alarm and help organize bucket
brigades. As early as 1731 there is a record of the
City of New York purchasing fire apparatus. This
was a hand pump/brake bar engine. There is a photo
of this engine on the FASNY
Fire Museum website.
noted in his own newspaper, in 1735, that Boston
had "a club or society of active men belonging
to each fire engine, whose business is to attend
all fires with it whenever they happen." This
may have been one of the concepts that help him go
down in history as one of our first, if not THE first,
fire chief. The difference between Ben Franklin's "fire
brigade" and the other co-ops, of clubs, is
that he saw the advantage of protecting all the property
of the community and not just those who had joined
together to help fight each other's fires. Franklin
formed a fire brigade that became know as The Union
Fire company. This was made up of about 30 volunteers
from the community. These men met monthly to discuss
fire fighting techniques. But this was not the only "fire
company" in Philadelphia. Soon afterwards there
were others known as, the Britannia, the Heart-in-Hand,
the Fellowship and others.
prominent early Americans were volunteer firefighters.
After all, in most cases, if people didn't organize
and form some kind of co-op, there wasn't anyone
to help keep the town from burning down. George Washington
was a volunteer in Alexandria, Va. and purchased
a new fire engine to donate to the town.
it was more true back then, volunteer fire houses
are still a major organization in many communities.
Volunteer departments hold BBQ's and other events
to raise money. Usually the prominent leaders of
a community are members of the fire department. It
is less true today, but 150 years ago, the volunteer
fire departments were often powerful political machines
in many towns and cities. Probably the most famous
example was Boss (William Marcy) Tweed of Tammany
Hall Fame who started as a member of the "Americus"
(sic) Engine Company Number 6 ("The Big Six")
in New York City. The movie, The Gangs of New
York, show this period of time.
the Civil War, entire fire companies or departments
would join up and many became the elite Zoave battalions.
The Civil War is often credited with helping to establish
the fire department rank system that exists today.
While fighting in the war, the leaders of the fire
brigade received rank and continued to be known by
that title long after returning home. See: Ranks
1800-1900 many American cities suffered devastating
fires and realized that something had to be done.
More and more cities established government sponsored
fire brigades. Prior to that, fires were fought by
volunteers or private companies. Some of these private
fire brigades were freelance while others were owned
by insurance companies. See: "Firemark" below.
Marks Courtesy of the Texas
is a "Fire mark"?
a hundred years ago, this was a round (or other shape)
iron, copper or lead emblem that was usually placed,
on the wall, near the front door of a structure.
It denoted the insurance company who had a policy
on that property. It was usually made of enough metal
to be able to withstand a fire.
earliest fire marks may have been created soon after
the Great Fire of London in 1666. After this fire,
London created an insurance system and "fire
companies". Once you paid your insurance and
affixed the fire mark to your structure, you would
have the services of one of the city charted companies.
Fire marks (insurance company marks) were used in
the U.S. from about 1750 to around 1900.
the early days of the U. S., there were no municipal
fire departments. Fire brigades were sometimes either
owned, or paid, by insurance companies (or assurance
companies) or supported by the community. Some stories
tell that in some communities the fire brigade only
responded to protect the property of those who had
the insurance who owned this fire brigade. In other
cities the fire brigades might have been independent
companies. The story you hear, tells of the money
going to the fire brigade who was successful in staking
a claim on the property, which was on fire. One method
of claiming a structure was to place a ladder on
it. The first company to do so was allowed to fight
the fire and was therefore paid by the insurance
company. As you can imagine, there were problems
with this system. Fire companies would have people
whose main job it was to (A) ladder the building
and (B) prevent the other company from doing so.
There are many, apocryphal, stories of different
fire brigades being involved in fist fights, in the
front yard, while the structure burned.
the thought that a burning home, with no fire mark,
was left to burn, was probably not true. In fact,
in the U.S., there is no evidence to support this
belief. Volunteer fire departments were supported
by community donations and many other sources of
revenue. The insurance company's fire mark was possibly
more of an indication of a "reward" for
saving a particular structure, if anything other
than advertising. For this reason one might hear
of fire companies fighting over who would be allowed
to fight a fire. Not all insurance companies paid
a reward, but some may have. Much like today, some
insurance companies simply donated money to the local
volunteer fire departments. Only about one in ten
insurance companies ever issued fire marks, so their
value, or purpose, remains unclear. It is possible
that a fire mark would have a different purpose or
meaning depending upon the insurance company, the
community, or the insured. see: http://www.firemarkcircle.org/documents/goodstory.htm
fire marks shown above represented the companies
Green Tree" Philadelphia Contributorship which
became the Mutual Assurance of Philadelphia (1784-
2. Associated Fireman's Insurance Co. of Baltimore (cir. 1848)
3. Philadelphia Contributorship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by
Fire. First issued 1752.
4. Fire Insurance Co. of Baltimore (cir. 1835)
do firefighters refer to stations in the possessive?
They say things like, “I work at Three’s.”
fire stations and apparatus are most often numbered
as they are put into service. When a department builds
their sixth station and puts their sixth engine into
service, it is naturally named "Engine 6." But
it wasn't always that way. And in fact, the larger
and older departments still may not number their
ago fire apparatus was so expensive and so prized
that they were christened or named like boats. The
Dallas Fire Department still has a vintage steam
pump in it's museum called "Old Tige".
(One of the few in the country to survive the "scrap
campaigns" of WW II.) This was named after the
mayor of Dallas, (W. L. Cabell) in 1884. The station
where the men, who used this piece of equipment,
were stationed at "Old Tige's" house. Firefighters
don't work at a building called "Number 3" they
come to work where Engine 3 runs out of. For many
parts of the country, it is not Station Three but
rather Engine 3's house. The station might be referred
to as, "The Washington Avenue Station." Even
if truck 47 is at the station with Engine 3, the "truckies" will
often say that "Truck 47 is at 3's."
Tige - Dallas Fire Department -Circa 1884 - Dallas
It's pronounced as in "Tiger".
This person was known as being tough as a tiger. His nickname was "Tiger" which
was shortened to "Old Tige".
several engines named for individuals as well. These include: "Long
John #1" "Fred Grund" and the "R. A. Williams".
more information on the history of fire apparatus
go to our page on the subject.
See: It's Not a "Fire Truck".
Maltese Cross and The Fire Service
can easily find a hundred web sites that will tell
you that the symbol of the fire service comes from
the "Knights of Malta" and their battles
with Ottoman pirates or the Saracens. They were first know as "The Knights of St. John the Hospitallers." The story is
that these knights wore a cross on their tunics and
that the Saracens used fire as a weapon against them. All of this is true. There were
many of these knights who risked their lives to save their
comrades or structures from the fires. But there
is much more to the story than that. These knights were incredibly brave and one battle shows them fending of an attack against unbelievable odds.
After maintaining and defending the hospital in Jerusalem, they eventually moved to Malta and built large fortifications, including St. Elmo's Fort. Finally they acquired the name, “The Knights of Malta”. From Malta they launched attacks on the Barbary Pirates and became enemies of the Ottoman Empire once again. In 1564 Suleiman again set his sights on the knights. He sent his armada of over 170 ships to Malta with over 40,000 well trained troops and many thousand more slaves and mercenaries. Malta endured many sieges starting in 1565, but always remained victorious. An amazing account of the siege of Malta can be found HERE.
In his book "Badges of the Bravest" Gary Urbanowicz states that the first use of a Maltese cross was adopted by FDNY in 1865. In Brooklyn they apparently adopted it in 1882.
"The article appeared in the September 19, 1882 issue of the Brooklyn Eagle. It says: 'Commissioner Partridge has decided to make a change in the design of the badges of the Fire Department. The present badge is of nickel and in the form of a four-leaf clover. The new one is in the design of a Maltese cross, the old sixth army corps badge. Those of the Commissioner, deputy, chief engineer and assistants are gold-plated, and those of the privates are German silver. The present badges have been in use so long that some of them have found their way into the possession of parties who are not entitled to them, and from whom they cannot be obtained. Hence the change.'" - Gary Urbanowicz
elsewhere on this site, the Civil War
on the traditions of the fire service.
can probably all agree that the firefighters emblem
is an attractive design. It is unique, and does
an excellent job of representing that, whatever
attached to, is fire service related.
To read a ridiculously long paper on heraldry, the Maltese cross, and the Knights of St. John, go HERE.
NEW! A website that talks more about the cross of the Knights of St. John, and its relationship to the U.S. Fire service emblem,
can be found here.http://www.firerescue.navajo.org/Logo.html
Hose tender and steam pumper, Town of East
Dallas FD, circa. 1886
(Annexed by city of Dallas, 1889.)
Why do they call it a “Box Alarm”?
refers to the "Box System". Some alarms,
such as a car or grass fire, did not get a full "box" alarm.
These kinds of calls were often called still alarms.
But even today many departments still use the Phantom
is a “Joker Box” or telegraph alarm box?
over fifty years this was a name given to the primary
means of dispatching fire companies in many major
cities of the U.S. and U. K.
Alarm Pull Box and Watch Desk.
Parts of the working "Joker
at the Dallas Fire Dept. Museum.
one time, on just about every street corner, there
was a fire alarm pull box. In some cities there were
thousands of these boxes. This box was connected
to a telegraph wire. This one wire went to every
fire station in the city. Inside the box was a spring
loaded wheel. This wheel had bumps on it that corresponded
to the number given to this box. If the box's number
was #213, the wheel would have two bumps, then one
bump, then three. When the handle on the outside
of the box was pulled it released this spring loaded
wheel to began turning. The bumps pressed down on
a key that sent an electrical signal to every station
in the city. At each station a bell would ring out
the number of the box and punch holes in a paper
tape at the watch desk. The companies who were assigned
to respond to this box would then dispatch themselves.
Every station kept track of every other station.
If a first up company was out on some other call,
the second up would have to know this and dispatch
themselves. Many departments referred to as the "Joker
Box System" or telegraph alarm system. This system was in place from the
1920's (or earlier) to well into the 1960's and 1970's
in some cities. (It is still in use in some cities.
See note below.)
you look closely you will notice that there are no
zeros used in this system. How would you ring a zero
with a bell?
the fire the chief, or his driver, would use a key
to open the pull box, rewind the spring and reset
details on how this system worked and close up pictures
of devices can be found here:
Just like with apparatus and just about anything
else, terms differ from place to place. While some
cities used this system for decades, many never used
it. Other cities used telegraph in other ways. For
example: A central dispatcher may be the primary
means of sounding an alarm through a telegraph. Some
cities had multiple telegraph wires going to each
station. The relative size of a department often
affected exactly how the system could work or if
they used it at all.
you watched a TV show on the Discovery Channel called "Firehouse
USA" you may have seen a fire telegraph in action.
Boston was one of the first (if not THE first) major
U.S. Cities to have a telegraph alarm system. They
installed it in 1852. To give you an idea of how dependable they consider this system, the first episode showed that,
apparently, the Boston Fire Department STILL
USES the telegraph alarm system of paper rolls and
bells. If a "box" is dispatched someone
must rewind the paper tape reels after holes are
punched out to indicate the box number. Link-
Boston's alarm system, and the history of telegraph alarms, here.
Aid Boxes are also popular in some areas. The state
of Illinois has a large Mutual Aid Box alarm System.
For a wealth of information on it, go here:http://www.mabas.org
very good web page on the subject of fire telegraph
alarm boxes is here:
do they call it a second alarm?
goes back to the Box System as discussed above.
If a "second alarm" was decided to be necessary,
the battalion chief, or most often his driver, would
go to the fire box on the corner and send the alarm
though the telegraph wire. He would do this by sending
the box number then he might send a signal like two
rings and eleven rings. This is why second alarms
are still called "2-11's". A third alarm
would be a "3-11" and so on. (In Chicago
and some other cities.) See "multi-alarms".
They still use boxes?
telegraph alarm systems were no longer the primary means of dispatching
fire companies, another method of knowing who was "first
up" was needed. This was simple. Just pretend
that a box still existed on any particular corner
and list the stations closest to that imaginary box.
This is called a "Phantom Box" system.
If you moved a station or the city grew, just establish
more or different locations for these phantom boxes.
A map located somewhere would have all the "box" locations
on it and there would be a set of "box cards" that
shows the order of stations to respond to this box
and the locations near it. Phantom boxes are also
sometimes used to show what Fire Companies "Move
up" or fill in at other stations during multi-alarm
A actual "Phantom Box" Card. Still
Why do they call it "Tapped out"?
goes back to the fire boxes. When the fire was out
the Battalion chief, or his driver, would go back
to the alarm box. He would use the telegraph key
to send a signal that all companies at "Box
213" were clear because the fire was out. He
would "tap out" this signal. All the watch
personnel at all the stations would note that this
fire was tapped out. In some cities the code for
under control was "1-1" and the code for
all companies clear was "6-6".