History of firefighting
[2] Roman Emperor Augustus formed a group of slaves, Vigiles, in AD 6 to combat fires using bucket brigades and pumps, as well as poles, hooks and even ballistae to tear down buildings in advance of the flames.
Ancient Rome, known for its architectural marvels and sophisticated infrastructure, was also one of the first civilizations to implement organized firefighting efforts.
Under the rule of Emperor Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD, Rome established a rudimentary firefighting force tasked with combating fires that frequently ravaged the city's densely populated neighborhoods.
Ctesibius, a Greek inventor hailing from Alexandria, is credited with creating the first known fire pump around the third century BC.
This primitive device, employing principles of pneumatics, utilized water pressure to extinguish fires and was a crucial innovation in the fight against conflagrations.
The Great Fire of 1666 started in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane, consumed about two square miles (5 km2) of the city, leaving tens of thousands homeless.
In 1672, Dutch artist and inventor Jan Van der Heyden's workshop developed the fire hose.
The fire engine was further developed by the Dutch inventor, merchant and manufacturer, John Lofting (1659–1742) who had worked with Jan Van der Heyden in Amsterdam.
In the print three fire plaques of early insurance companies are shown, no doubt indicating that Lofting collaborated with them in firefighting.
A later version of what is believed to be one of his fire engines has been lovingly restored by a retired firefighter, and is on show in Marlow Buckinghamshire where John Lofting moved in 1700.
Pulled as a cart to the fire, these manual pumps were manned by teams of 4 to 12 men and could deliver up to 160 gallons per minute (12 L/s) at up to 120 feet (36 m).
The next companies to become established in the Maritimes in the 1780s, were conceived as a mutual insurance and protection organization, which followed the governors requested rules and regulations.
In 1756 the use of a protective helmet for firefighters was recommended by King Louis XV, but it took many more years before the measure was actually enforced on the ground.
Napoleon Bonaparte, drawing from the century-old experience of the gardes-pompes, is generally attributed as creating the first "professional" firefighters, known as Sapeurs-Pompiers ("Sappers-Firefighters"), from the French Army.
Created under the Commandant of Engineers in 1810, the company was organized after a fire at the ballroom in the Austrian Embassy in Paris which injured several dignitaries.
In the UK, the Great Fire of London in 1666 set in motion changes which laid the foundations for organised firefighting in the future.
