Firefighter Skills Chapter 1 - History of The Fire Service Flashcards
Augustus Caesar Creates First Fire Department
- 24 B.C.
- 600 Slaves
Corps of Vigiles
- Established by Nero in 60 A.D.
- 7,000 Free Men
First Documented Structure Fire
-1607, Jamestown, Virginia
Banked
-Covering a fire to ensure low burning
First Paid Department
-1679 Boston
First Volunteer Company
-1735 in Philadelphia, led by Ben Franklin
Chicago Fire
- 1871
- 3 Days
- 300 dead
- 200 million in damages
- Led to building and fire codes
Peshtigo Fire Storm
- 1871
- 2,400 square miles of forest burned
- 2,200 people dead
- Led to building and fire codes
Building Code Origins
- Began in Egypt to prevent collapse
- 1678 Boston requires “tyle” or slate for roofs
- 1814 codes prohibit wooden houses after Wash. DC is burned.
NFPA
- Writes today’s codes and standars
- Final document is referred to as the “consensus document”
Fire Hooks
-Used by colonial firefighters to pull down burning structures and stop the spread of fires.
First Hand Powered Pumper
-Developed by Richard Newsham, 1720, London
Steam Powered pumpers
- 1829
- Made volunteer fire fighters feel threatened
Fireplug
-Valve to control water access from wooden pipes
Call boses
- Washington DC, 1860
- Fire Department could determine location by number of bells in the signal.