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Firefighting – The Early Days First attempts at firefighting can be traced as far back as the 2nd century. It was then that an Alexandrian named Ctesibus built a basic hand pump that could squirt a jet of water. The
original organised fire brigades were established during the days of the Roman
Empire when a huge conflagration led to the destruction of Amongst the jobs of the vigils in the event of a fire was the organization of a chain of buckets filled with water, to be thrown at the fire. Armed with ladders and long hooked poles they would pull down the buildings as they burned to create firebreaks. This scheme worked well and was used in all parts of the Roman Empire, however the collapse of occupied territories signalled a return to the earlier lack of fire safety readiness. Britain
regularly experienced huge fires in its cities and towns, with London suffering
devastating fires in 798, 982 and 989.
The invasion of the Normans saw the ruling authorities make some attempt to prevent the outbreak of fire by imposing a nightly curfew that required that all home fires and candles be extinguished by nightfall. A 1556 Act of Parliament led to patrols of the streets of London with the cry of ‘Take care of your fire and candle, be charitable to the poor and prey for the dead.’ accompanied by the ringing of a bell.
The Great Fire of London in1666 finally bought this to a head, galvanizing efforts to provide better protection from the danger and destruction of fire.
A Dutch engineer, Jan Van der Heiden constructed flexible leather hosepipes 50 foot in length connected by brass screw couplings. These he used with a light hand pump to allow firefighting teams to finally get close to the seat of the fire and deliver water to the pump from a distance away. This method became the accepted technique in the 18th century. A London button manufacturer, Richard Newsham focused on improving manual fire pumps in 1721. He used a system of air reservoirs, pistons and levers to produce an even greater water-jet mounted on top of the engine and fed by hose. Newnham’s largest pump could deliver 160 gallons per minute and throw a jet 50 metres. This pump however remained extremely heavy and had to be put on a wheeled trailer and dragged to the fire. Before long, lighter horse-drawn manual pumps were being made, influenced by developments America. By the mid-19th century the mechanical fire engine became a common sight throughout towns and cities of the developing world. Organised Fire BrigadesCredit for the first 'professional’ fire brigade is given to Napoleon Bonaparte. Whilst French emperor, he ordered that a division of the French army known as Sapeurs-Pompiers be used to protect Paris with 30 powerful manual fire pumps by 1800. The British Government by the early 18th century insisted that all parishes had a fire engine and leather hoses to combat fire. This was not universally done until a law was issued paying financial rewards to those areas that complied. In
London, insurance companies were being formed to allow occupiers to cover
properties against the ravages of fire by providing their own fire brigade. The
fire brigades issued magnificent ornate uniforms for their firemen who were
usually recruited from the ranks of seamen. The uniforms, although splendid in
their appearance were completely impractical for the job in hand! Metal ‘fire
marks’ on the outside of A major event in fire brigade history came in 1824 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city formed the Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment from the many insurance company fire brigades serving the city. These 80 part-time firemen were part of the first municipally controlled fire brigade in the country. The
leader of the new force was James Braidwood, News travelled of Braidwood’s success and in 1832 the London Fire Engine Establishment with 80 full-time professional firemen at 19 stations across London was created. Two fireboats were also provided to deal with incidents on and around the Thames. James Braidwood was persuaded to come to London on a salary of £400 per year to lead the new force. He immediately got rid of the old, brightly decorated uniforms and gave his men black tunics, leather helmets and knee length boots in which to carry out their duties. He set up a formal rank structure and a pension scheme. James Braidwood died tragically on 22nd June 1861. A small fire in a riverside warehouse close to Tower Bridge quickly spread to other buildings leading Braidwood to take personal charge of the massive firefighting effort. Whilst leading a crew through a smoke-laden side street, part of a building collapsed onto him killing him instantly. The funeral drew large crowds onto the streets, reflecting the admiration of the public for this pioneer and the interest and concern they had for the problems of fire. Eyre Massey Shaw
Parliament discussed the provision of a larger, more expensive fire brigade for London. Shaw, an influential thinker on fire safety got on with the job in hand using all his renowned charisma to encourage change. In 1866 Parliament set up the Metropolitan Fire Brigade to become one of the largest professional brigades in the world. As commander, Shaw improved uniforms, including the issue of the celebrated brass helmet, which became widely adopted around the world for the next 70 years. He opened new fire stations to deal with the increase in calls and began a vigorous recruiting campaign. By 1869, the Brigade controlled 59 stations in London. Shaw
was more adventurous than his predecessor and embraced the now reliable,
horse-drawn, steam –pumped fire engine In 1877, Shaw opened the new Brigade headquarters at Southwark. By his resignation in 1891, London’s brigade was considered to be one of the busiest and most efficient in the world .
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all the buildings in central Rome. Immediately after this great disaster a team
of firefighters, called vigiles was formed.
Even
at this time the principal method of firefighting remained the bucket chain and
hand-held water squirters. There were still no organized firefighting teams when
fires broke out, despite the common use of open fires inside wooden and thatched
buildings. 
The
immense blaze, which started in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane, spread in four
days and nights and decimated an area of nearly two square miles. 13,000 homes,
84 churches, 44 Livery halls and thousands of smaller dwellings were reduced to
ashes. The fire was finally halted using gunpowder to create ‘fire breaks’.
100,000 Londoners were made homeless, but thankfully only six people lost their
lives. The cost of the fire was put at £10 million, an enormous amount for
those days. The
Great Fire of London focused the need for firefighting equipment, techniques and
fire safety measures. 
buildings showed the identity of the brigade
protecting that property. When a rival brigade arrived at a fire that was not
insured with their company, they would only stand and watch. In some cases they
would hinder other firefighting efforts causing fights to break out amongst
rival teams even whilst the fire still burned!
a 24-year-old surveyor. Braidwood
began training his firemen and preparing them for their fight against the
flames. He drilled them day and night, using ladders and hose in barely
accessible thoroughfares of the city, insisting they get in close to the seat of
the fire even when at great danger to themselves. Soon, his force
could attend a fire and be working with ladders and hose within one
minute of arrival at the scene.
The
Successor to James Braidwood as Chief of the London Fire Engine Establishment
was Captain Eyre Massey Shaw, an Irish army officer who had previously led the
joint police and fire brigade in Belfast.
. He constantly battled against
politicians for more funds to better existing fire protection for the public. In
1876, Shaw published a book on how to organize, equip and train a fire brigade,
drawing the attention of the Prince of Wales, whose friends found the rough and
tumble of firefighting a welcome diversion from their more normal gentrified
activities. Prince Edward enjoyed it so much that he kept a fire uniform at
Chandos Street Fire Station near to Charing Cross. In the event of a large fire
during the night, he would be collected to join the crews working at the scene.