Evolution of Firefighting

  • 43

    The First Recorded Fire Brigade is Formed

    The First Recorded Fire Brigade is Formed
    The first British Fire Brigade is believed to have originated during the Roman Invasion in AD 43. The actual firefighting was limited to buckets of water. When the Romans left, firefighting took a step backward due to communities being declined. Many towns burned to the ground because there was no-one to extinguish the fires.
  • 60

    The First Fire Brigade in Rome is Formed

    The First Fire Brigade in Rome is Formed
    In AD 60, Emperor Nero of Rome formed one of the earliest recorded fire brigades in history. This fire brigade was called the "Vigiles". They used water buckets passing from one man to the next in effort to extinguish fires.
  • The Great Fire of London

    The Great Fire of London
    The Great Fire of London initiated and helped to standardize firefighting. A fire broke out at a bakery owned by Thomas Farriner. 6 deaths were recorded but many more deaths took place but all their remains were turned to ash. It set in motion the groundwork for future foundations of organized firefighting.
  • "The Fire Office"

    After The Great Fire, the first fire insurance company called The Fire Office was established. It was established by Nicholas Barbon. His Fire Brigade employed small teams of Thames watermen as firefighters. If you were insured by The Fire Office, then you'd be given a badge which symbolizes that you are indeed insured. Then, if a fire were to start, the Fire Brigade would come and check for that badge. If you didn't have the badge, they would leave.
  • The First Female Firefighter

    The First Female Firefighter
    The first known female firefighter was Molly Williams. She took her place alongside the men during the Blizzard of 1818.
  • First Municipal Fire Brigade

    First Municipal Fire Brigade
    Edinburgh, Scotland was home to the first official municipal fire brigade in 1824. It was led by James Braidwood.
  • Private Brigades

    Private Brigades
    Prior to the Civil War, America did not have government ran fire brigades. This led to competition amongst private fire brigades. Insurance companies paid these private fire brigades to extinguish fires. Due to this, many reconstruction companies were established to rebuild these fire-affected buildings.
  • Creation of the National Fire Service

    Creation of the National Fire Service
    In 1938, the National Fire Service was established. The NFS ensured uniformity in the basic safety equipment used by fire brigades during the war. This was the busiest time in the history of Fire Service.
  • Fire Force 14

    Fire Force 14
    Firefighters even helped out on the ground during D-Day. They extinguished fires on the beach and protected villages. They were known as Fire Force 14.
  • Modern Day

    Modern Day
    In 2015, Fire Brigades introduced partnerships with private companies and begin to find new ways of providing a better service but also being cost effective to deliver a service that gives the public value for money.
  • Source

    http://www.firefighterfoundation.org.uk/history/
    All info found at FireFighter Foundation. I had pictures in my timeline but they all disappeared.