 | Cats and Firemen have had a long relationship. Firemen have saved the lives of many felines at house fires and climbed trees to bring down a kitty. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 brought to the attention of the world the bravery and selflessness of those who fight fires and rescue victims on a daily basis. We hope here to offer some history of the firefighters. |
For our Historical Society members: |
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The badge of a fireman is the Maltese Cross. This Maltese Cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. Its story is hundreds of years old. When a courageous band of crusaders known as the Knights of St. John, fought the Saracens for possession of the holy land, they encountered a new weapon unknown to European warriors. It was a simple, but a horrible device of war, it wrought excruciating pain and agonizing death upon the brave fighters for the cross. The Saracen's weapon was fire. As the crusaders advanced on the walls of the city, they were struck by glass bombs containing naphtha. When they became saturated with the highly flammable liquid, the Saracens hurled a flaming torch into their midst. Hundreds of the knights were burned alive; others risked their lives to save their brothers-in-arms from dying painful, fiery deaths. Thus, these men became our first firemen and the first of a long list of courageous firefighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders who awarded each here a badge of honor - a cross similar to the one firemen wear today. When the first fire company was formed in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1736, its efforts, and those of the additional companies that soon organized, were under the guidance of similar firewards. Firefighters setting up bucket brigades, operating pumps and pulling down burning roofing materials all fell under their control. In New York City, Jacobus Stoutenburgh became the head of the volunteer fire department in 1761, with the title of "Overseer of Fire Engines." The department was reorganized the following year and Stoutenburgh's title was changed to "Engineer," then to "Chief Engineer" and finally to "Chief." (This is believed to be the first time any firefighter in the U.S. was officially known by the rank of chief.) The first motorized chief's car in the country was the 1901 Locomobile donated to the FDNY by Chief of Department Edward Croker. This electric-powered runabout was promptly nicknamed the "Black Ghost" by newspaper reporters. With the reliability of automobiles still unproven, the chief kept a horse and buggy ready at all times. The first fire apparatus utilized in the U.S. were hand pumpers that were built in England and shipped by boat to New York during the early 1700's. The hand pumper had long, parallel handles that required many volunteers to pump up and down rapidly, pumping water from the machine's tub. While the effectiveness of the hand pumper was limited by the volunteers' capacity to pump before becoming exhausted, these pumpers far exceeded the capabilities of the bucket brigades. American manufacturers copied and refined these machines for almost 100 years. The first successful aerial ladder was patented in 1868 by Daniel Hayes. It was constructed of wood and required several firefighters to raise by hand through a series of gears and pulleys.The size and weight of horse-drawn apparatus had grown to the point where most horses running at top speed would begin to slow down after about a half-mile. Studies indicated that a motorized fire company could be operated at about one-third the cost of a similar horse-drawn unit. Like the introduction of steam pumpers, motorized fire apparatus was seen as a threat. Looked at as unreliable, subject to mechanical breakdown and unable to replace the beloved horses, it took several decades for the changeover to take place nationwide. The year 1906 is generally accepted as the beginning of the motorized age in the American fire service. During that year, a pumper built by Waterous entered service with the Radnor Fire Company in Wayne, PA. This vehicle was equipped with two gasoline motors, one for propelling the vehicle and the other to power the pump.  The Dalmatian has been the fire dog since the fire department used horses. Dalmatians were breed for endurance and stamina. Dalmatians are not fast dogs but are able to run for long periods of time without rest. Dalmatians were trained to escort the horse drawn engine to the fire scene and prevent stray dogs from interfering. The spotted Dalmatians were easy for the horses to distinguish from the other dogs. Once at the fire scene Dalmatians would continue to protect the horses from other animals. 
Questions 1. What is used for the badge of the firemen? 2. What was the name of the first fire chief's car? 3. What breed of dog is the "Fire Dog?" 4. Write a bit about firemen you know or other info related to firefighting.
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Portions of the above information taken from the book, History of Fire Engines, available for $19 postpaid from FAJ Publications, Box 141295, Staten Island, NY 10314.
Fire History Museum