Vigiles

Another organization dedicated to fighting fires in ancient Rome was a band of slaves led by the aedile Marcus Egnatius Rufus.

[1][2] The privately operated system became ineffective, so in the interest of keeping himself and Rome safe, Augustus instituted a new public firefighting force called the vigiles.

The vigiles also acted as a night watch, keeping an eye out for burglars and hunting down runaway slaves, and were on occasion used to maintain order in the streets.

In an effort to entice men to enlist the Lex Visellia was passed in 24 AD, granting full citizenship and a bonus cash stipend to Vigiles after six years of service.

Prominent jurists with a legal background began serving as Prefect to fulfil the magisterial capacity of the office.

According to Justinian, in the event of more serious crimes the decision was made by the praefectus urbi, "if the offender is a person of such thuggish and infamous character ... the case is sent on to the prefect of the city".

One known praefectus, Placidianus was put in charge of an expeditionary force sent to Gaul by Claudius II (Gothicus) on his accession in 269 AD to secure the lower Rhone valley against the so-called Gallic Empire.

The sipho or fire engine was pulled by horses and consisted of a large double action pump that was partially submerged in a reservoir of water.

There is even evidence that chemical firefighting methods were used by throwing a vinegar based substance called acetum into fires.

For fires in multiple story buildings, cushions and mattresses were spread out on the ground for people to jump onto from the upper levels.

The Digest of Justinian decrees that Vigiles are "ordered to remind every one to have a supply of water ready in his upper room".

It was rumoured that the Vigiles intentionally allowed the city to burn under orders from Nero, who later built his palace on land that was cleared by the fire.

Starting about 27 BC, Augustus added a police function to the Vigiles to counterbalance the urban mobs that had run rampant during the latter days of the Republic.

Sedition, riots and violent crimes were handled by the Cohortes urbanae and (to a lesser extent) the Praetorian Guard, though Vigiles could provide a supporting role in these situations.

By the early 3rd century sub-stations (excubitoria), which held forty to fifty men, were constructed to accommodate the expanding city and the surrounding suburbs.

(Certainly after the governmental reforms of Diocletian the jurisdiction of the Praefectus Urbi extended as far as the east coast and for 100 miles (160 km) in every direction.

Despite initial bafflement, the head of the vigiles is able to solve the case with help from his Greek doctor friend and arrest the murderers despite their previously unknown weapon.