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History The very first fire department was formed in Ancient Rome by Egnatius Rufus who used his slaves to provide a free fire service. These men fought fires using bucket chains and also patrolled the streets with the authority to impose corporal punishment upon those who violated fire-prevention codes. Fire departments were again formed by insurance companies in the 18th and 19th century. Benjamin Franklin is seen as the father of the fire department in western culture. In 1736, he established the first fire insurance company named the Union Volunteer Fire Company in Philadelphia. The city of Boston established the very first publicly funded paid fire department in America in 1679. In the late 19th century, the demand of central command for fire companies took place within cities because the fire companies would fight over fires or not put out a fire because the owners didn’t have fire insurance. Insured properties had plaques with the insurance company’s names affixed to their exterior called fire marks. This caused areas of a city to be badly damage by fires and caused many deaths. Cities started to form their own fire departments as a civil service to the public, forcing private fire companies to shut down, and merging their fire stations into the city’s fire department.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : Fire department |
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