Hi Puzzlers,
Today’s blog is about Firefighters. I have always been curious about the fire fighting profession. I wonder if it was always volunteers trying to keep their communities safe? When did it become a paid profession? What about women firefighters? I have so many questions, in fact, that I am going to have to make it a two part series. In this post we will look at the early days of volunteer fire fighting.
Volunteers have and continue to be the backbone of all firefighting. The Union Fire Company established by Benjamin Franklin, in 1736, was the first volunteer fire department. Unlike other “Fire Clubs” of its day, which only protected property of its members, the Union Fire Company served everyone in the neighborhood. This became the role model for subsequent fire companies that sprang up all over Philadelphia. Each Fire Company of this time had to pay for all their equipment; luckily, wealthy volunteers donated the funds to keep the fire companies running.
Prior to this type of organization, “private fire brigades would compete with one another to be the first to respond to a fire because insurance companies paid brigades to save buildings. Even after the formation of paid fire companies in the United States, there were disagreements and often fights over territory.”
“New York City companies were famous for sending runners out to fires with a large barrel to cover the hydrant closest to the fire in advance of the engines. Often fights would break out between the runners and even the responding fire companies for the right to fight the fire and receive the insurance money that would be paid to the company that fought it.” I wonder how many buildings burned to the ground before the fight was settled? Yikes!
Here is a list of some famous volunteer firefighters: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Alexander Hamilton.
Happy Puzzling!
Today’s blog is about Firefighters. I have always been curious about the fire fighting profession. I wonder if it was always volunteers trying to keep their communities safe? When did it become a paid profession? What about women firefighters? I have so many questions, in fact, that I am going to have to make it a two part series. In this post we will look at the early days of volunteer fire fighting.
Volunteers have and continue to be the backbone of all firefighting. The Union Fire Company established by Benjamin Franklin, in 1736, was the first volunteer fire department. Unlike other “Fire Clubs” of its day, which only protected property of its members, the Union Fire Company served everyone in the neighborhood. This became the role model for subsequent fire companies that sprang up all over Philadelphia. Each Fire Company of this time had to pay for all their equipment; luckily, wealthy volunteers donated the funds to keep the fire companies running.
Prior to this type of organization, “private fire brigades would compete with one another to be the first to respond to a fire because insurance companies paid brigades to save buildings. Even after the formation of paid fire companies in the United States, there were disagreements and often fights over territory.”
“New York City companies were famous for sending runners out to fires with a large barrel to cover the hydrant closest to the fire in advance of the engines. Often fights would break out between the runners and even the responding fire companies for the right to fight the fire and receive the insurance money that would be paid to the company that fought it.” I wonder how many buildings burned to the ground before the fight was settled? Yikes!
Here is a list of some famous volunteer firefighters: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Alexander Hamilton.
Happy Puzzling!
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