Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we commemorate Fire Prevention Week?
Fire Prevention Week has its roots in the Great Chicago Fire. The fire occurred on Oct. 9,1871. It killed 300 people and left 100,000 homeless.
What is the Fire Triangle?
The fire triangle represents the three elements needed for a fire to occur. All three elements must be present at the same time to have a fire. The fire will continue to burn until one element is removed. The three elements are:
* Fuel--something to burn.
* Heat--Hot enough to make the fuel burn.
* Oxygen--21% is needed for optimum burning, exactly the percentage we need to breathe.
Where do Fire Poles come from?
Captain David Kenyon of the Chicago Fire Department invented fire poles in 1878. Fire poles have fallen out of favor in recent years due to injuries. Many fire stations built today are single story structures that do not utilize fire poles.
How long have sprinkler systems been in use?
Fire sprinkler systems have been putting out fires since 1860. Although there have been some design improvements, the basic technology has remained the same for over 130 years. Most recently, fire sprinklers have started to appear in single family homes.
When was the first fire department organized in the United States?
A large fire in Boston in 1679 led to the organization of the first paid fire department in America. The city imported a fire engine from England and employed a chief and twelve firefighters. The first volunteer Fire Company was formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1736. Benjamin Franklin served as America’s First volunteer Fire Chief.
Why are Dalmatians considered firehouse dogs?
In the early days of the fire service, fire trucks were horse drawn. In those days nearly every firehouse had a resident Dalmatian. The job of the Dalmatian was to direct the horses, keep the horses company and guard the firehouse. Today we do not keep horses in the fire station, but many firehouses still have a Dalmatian. The resident Dalmatian is still responsible for guarding the firehouse and the fire trucks.
Why is the Maltese Cross the symbol of the fire service?
The Maltese Cross represents the ideals of saving lives and extinguishing fires. The emblem was borrowed from the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The knights were an organization that existed in the 11th and 12th centuries that helped the poor and
the sick. The Knights of St. John later assisted the Knights of the Crusades in a relief effort to the Island of Malta, the island for which the Maltese Cross was named. The Maltese Cross came to represent the principles of charity, loyalty, chivalry, generosity to friend or foe, protection of the weak and dexterity in service.
Where is America's largest volunteer fire department?
The largest single municipal volunteer fire department in the United States is located in Pasadena, Texas. Pasadena borders Houston to the southeast, and has a population of over 150,000. The Pasadena Fire Department includes over 190 active firefighters plus 45 semi-active firefighters. The department responds to approximately 2000+ alarms per year within the city of Pasadena, including rescue calls and hazardous materials incidents. The department also provides mutual aid fire protection in conjunction with Ellington Field, Johnson Space Center, The University of Houston - Clear Lake and for about 1,500 homes in the city of Taylor Lake Village.
Why do we (the public) have to park at least ten feet from a fire hydrant?
Firefighters need a straight line approach to the fire hydrant so that they can connect the hose (or hoses) to it. A fire hose with water pressure in it does not bend all that well, so a clear path to and from the hydrant is very important. You do not want this (below) to happen to your car ! Besides that, you could get fined (a ticket) as well, depending on your local fire hydrant/fire lane ordinances !!!
Brief History of the Fire Service
1,000,000 years ago, history records indicate that primitive man knew how to make fire (Nice, France)
500,000 years ago, historical records indicate primitive man learned how to control fire (China and Europe).
400 BC - Alexandria, Egypt - the first known water pump.
23 BC - Caesar Augustus in Rome created the first firefighting force. “Servants of the Commonwealth” were a group of slaves and troops capable of protecting Rome from fire. (Not very effective!)
6 AD - After a large catastrophic fire, “Vigils” formed in Rome. Used both for fire suppression and military purposes. Recognized as the first organized firefighting force.
100 AD - With the collapse of the Roman Empire, firefighting and fire protection gave way to the Dark Ages. Ignorance and superstition led to the mystery of fire and its cause.
1066 - William the Conqueror lead the Normans to rule England. Under his law, all fires were to be extinguished by nightfall. The word “Curfew” (French for “cover fire”) originated about 200 years earlier.
1100 - Laws and Ordinances were passed in London declaring no thatched roofs and the requirement of party walls and structures to be built of stone.
1566 - Ordinance in Manchester, England requiring safe storage of fuel for bakers ovens.
1607 - Jamestown, VA was founded in the “New World”. Fire in 1608 destroyed all the buildings and supplies, forcing settlers to return to England or remain and face the hostile Indians and hard winter.
1630 - City of Boston, MA was Incorporated.
1631 - Great conflagrations in 1631, 1654 and 1676 burned Boston down again and again. New codes were adopted calling for fire resistive building materials, open spaces, water supply, and firefighting forces.
1638 - Massachusetts passed first law banning smoking outdoors. Passed because of heightened awareness of fire and associated devastation.
1648 - Governor Peter Stuyvesant of New Amsterdam (New York City) adopted building codes and established Fire Wardens to protect the settlement. This was the first fire organization in America.
1666 - September 2 - The Great Fire of London starts. Fire burned for 5 days and destroyed most of the city. 13,200 homes, 100,000 boats and barges were lost, leaving 200,000 homeless. Only 6 lives were lost. Nearly complete destruction of England’s worldwide trading empire. As a result… the Fire Insurance Company was born. This led to increased emphasis on development of fire equipment and volunteer fire companies to protect insured premises. Fire marks were used by these companies to identify their buildings.
1679 - Boston, MA establishes America’s first fire department, first fire engine, first firehouse and first paid firefighters. All accomplished because of the severe losses from numerous large-scale conflagrations.
1737 - Volunteer Fire Department was formed in New York City.
1752 - Benjamin Franklin forms the first American Fire Insurance company.
1819 - London, England was the site of the first steam fire engine to be built. Not dependable, needing many revisions and much skill to operate.
1827 - The Wooden Match, with a chemical head was invented by Englishman John Walker.
1835 - December 16 - The Great New York Fire. The leading financial and trade center of the country at the time, 674 buildings lost, 10,000 left jobless. Most of the 28 Insurance Companies operating did not have the financial resources to meet claims and failed. Congress did not bail out New York. Financial bankruptcies multiplied. Some believe it lead to a national economic depression 2 years later.
1853 - Cincinnati, Ohio becomes the first fully paid fire department.
1854 - Safety matches were developed.
1866 - As the result of large loss fires, the National Board of Fire Underwrites is formed. They provided promotion of fire prevention and fire protection until 1965. They merged and became the American Insurance Association. Later they changed their name to the Insurance Service Office (ISO).
1871 - October 8 - The Great Chicago Fire. One third of the city is destroyed over a period of 30 hours. Loss of 17,450 homes. Estimated deaths were 300. Damage came to $200 million, of which only $88 million was covered by insurance. 57 out of 250 insurance companies doing business failed.
1871 - October 8 - Forest fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin accelerated into a firestorm and destroyed all but one building under construction. Fire consumed timber over 1200 square miles. Fire moved so fast that the residents could not flee. This was the worst recorded forest fire in North American history, destroying millions of dollars worth of property and timberland, and taking between 1,200 and 2,400 lives.
1900 - Introduction of the gasoline powered engine into the fire service. It was seen as a threat to the steam engine.
1903 - December 30 - Iroquois Theatre Fire in Chicago, Illinois kills 602 people. The theater was supposed to be completely fireproof. Incomplete construction, including fire escapes, confusing signs, lack of training, no fire alarm system and doors that open inward are to blame.
1906 - April 17 - San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. 514 city blocks were destroyed, 28,000 buildings lost, 674 dead and over 3,500 hurt. The earthquake lasted 90 seconds. Rupture of water mains, access and construction made fighting the fires difficult.
1911 - March 25 - Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in Manhattan, New York. 146 workers lost their life in the 10 story Asch Building. The fire flared up in a scrap bin under one of the cutters' tables on the eighth floor. The Fire Marshal concluded that the cause of the fire was likely the disposal of an un-extinguished match or cigarette butt. A poor fire escape system was a contributing factor in the large loss of life. Many people jumped 8 tp 10 floors to their death.
1922 - President Calvin Coolidge proclaims the first Fire Prevention Week to commemorate the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire.
1932 - The last steam fire engine in New York City is retired.
1942 - Coconut Grove Nightclub in Boston, MA kills 492 people. Worst multiple-death nightclub fire to date.
1945 - Dresden, Germany - February 14 & 15 - Over 300,000 fatalities. Allied bombing near the end of World War II, dropping over 3,800 tons of incendiary bombs on the city in a 2 day period. It created a firestorm unmatched in history.
1945 - Atomic bomb dropped at Hiroshima, Japan and kills 80,000.
1947 - April 16 - Texas City, Texas disaster. The ship (S.S. Grandcamp) carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate explodes in the harbor. 561 died and over 3,500 were injured.
1949 - First American burn injury facility was created at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas.
1950 - “Sparky” the Fire Dog was introduced by NFPA as a national symbol for safety.
1962 - Kansas City, Missouri Fire Chief develops “EDITH” (Exit Drills in the Home) project.
1965 - Watts, California erupts in riots on Friday, August 13. Arrests for drunken driving lead to increased tension and riots. Over 200 fires burning at one time. One firefighter was killed and 180 were injured in the suppression efforts.
1973 - Special Commission appointed by President Nixon presents a report entitled “America Burning”. It outlined the current and future fire concerns of our country. It led to the creation of the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy at Emmitsburg, Maryland.
1976 - Factory Mutual Research Corporation begins developing and testing residential sprinklers.
1977 - Beverly Hills Supper Club in Kentucky burns, killing 163. Loss attributed to overlooked fire codes and overcrowding.
1978 - NFPA publishes the first annual firefighter death/injury study. Imitation of Firefighter Safety and Survival training on a nationwide basis.
1991 - On February 23rd, a fire in a 38-story high-rise in Philadelphia takes 18.5 hours to contain and kills 3 firefighters.
1992 - Oakland Hills, CA - In October a wild land fire spreads and destroys 1,800 homes and 900 apartments. 19 people were killed and 148 injured. Loss estimated at $5 billion.
1994 - Storm King Mountain fire in Colorado claims the lives of 14 firefighters in a “blowup”. 9 fatalities are members of the Prineville, Oregon Interagency Hotshot Crew.
1995 - Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK bombed. 161 people killed and many more injured.
2001 - September 11 - Attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. More than 300 Firefighters missing or killed, along with approximately 3,000 civilians.
History of Volunteer Firefighting in America
The man who established the first volunteer fire department also invented bifocals, wrote and printed Poor Richard’s Almanac, studied electricity and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. His name was Benjamin Franklin. The first volunteer fire department began in Philadelphia in 1736.
Ben Franklin moved to Philadelphia from Boston at the age of eighteen. Boston had been greatly affected by fire. The city of Boston experienced major fires in 1653 and 1676. After the fire in 1676, Boston purchased a London pumper. The city then hired Thomas Atkins and twelve other men to fight fires. These were the first paid firefighters in the United States. In 1711, another major fire occurred in Boston. One hundred ten families lost their homes. At the age of six Benjamin Franklin witnessed this fire. Concerned citizens banded together and formed The Mutual Fire Societies in 1711. When fire struck a member of the Mutual Fire Society, other members of the club rushed to help battle the blaze. Each society had approximately twenty members. Dennis Smith stated the following: "The Mutual Fire Societies became social as well as protective associations, setting a pattern for organized volunteer firefighting groups, which would one day be the backbone of firefighting in America and would dominate it for a century and a half."
In 1682, the city of Philadelphia was founded by William Penn. When determining where to locate the city Penn gave careful thought to the dangers of fire. He had witnessed the London fire in 1666 and did not want Philadelphia to suffer the same fate. To reduce the possibility of fire, a fire ordinance in Philadelphia in 1696 required chimney cleaning. Philadelphia also had a large number of brick buildings that made it less susceptible to fire.
In 1718, Philadelphia bought its first engine. It was named The Shag Rag but it was not put into service until 1730 when Philadelphia had a fire that destroyed much of the commercial district along the river. The Shag Rag was no match for the conflagration because it only produced a trickle of water. In the twelve years the city owned it no one had maintained it. Ben Franklin urged the city to get better organized to fight fires. Shortly thereafter the city bought four hundred fire buckets, twenty ladders and hooks and two additional engines.
In 1733, Ben Franklin often wrote about the dangers of fire and the need for organized fire protection in his newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette. Ben Franklin was familiar with Boston’s Mutual Fire Societies which were also known as "Fire Clubs." But the "Fire Clubs" existed for the protection of its members, not the community at large. Collins wrote that Ben Franklin "wanted organizations that would battle all fires, regardless of whose property was burning."
After an extensive fire in Philadelphia in 1736, Franklin created a fire brigade called The Union Fire Company with 30 volunteers. The first full-fledged volunteer firefighter in America was Isaac Paschal. The idea of volunteer fire brigades gained popularity. Not wanting more than 30-40 men per company, additional companies were formed in Philadelphia. Some of them were: The Fellowship, Hand-in-Hand and Heart-in-Hand, and Friendship Companies. Each of the companies paid for their own equipment and located it throughout town at strategic places. Most early fire companies in Philadelphia and other cities had professionals, wealthier merchants and trades people serving in the volunteer fire department. These citizens were able to afford to purchase equipment and pay fines for missing meetings and fires.
Before 1850 no city in the United States had fully paid full-time firefighters. Volunteer firefighters played and continue to play an invaluable role in protecting lives and property.
