Where was the first American Fire Department?

The first American guy to volunteer fro the fire department company is often credited to a guy called Ben Franklin, around in the 1736, in Philadelphia. This gradually started as a "club" or co-op, so they can protect each other's homes in the event of a fire. But there were no organizations resembling the fire-fighting "clubs", also known as "Mutual Fire Societies" in Boston prior to this. Boston also had some "Firewards" in the early 1711. As early as 1678, Boston had some fire fighting equipment and a paid his crew to maintain it and respond to calls to fires. In 1648, in New York, and a few other cities around in New York, had a volunteer "rattle watch" who patrolled the streets. If a fire was discovered these people would sound out an alarm and help organize bucket brigades so they can catch the fire early. As early as 1731 there are records of the City of New York purchasing fire apparatus! When they purchasing this was a hand pump/brake bar engine.

Why do they call it a Box Alarm? A box alarm refers to the "Box System". So when some of the alarms, (e.g. such as a car or grass fire), did not get a full "box" alarm. So when these types of calls were often called still alarms. But even today so many departments still use the Phantom Box System.

In the modern day the Fire Brigade has ben evolved in the following many years of the development and the improvements since almost the pre-history. From the time that a man discovered a fire, he has also battled to control the outraging flames. The first organised fire-fighting is believed to have originated in the UK during the time of the Roman invasion in AD43. Even back then, fighting big/ small fires was often limited to nothing better than throwing buckets of water or simple syringes that were squirting water at the fire. Once the Romans left, fire-fighting took a little backward step as some communities fell into decline. During through the middle ages many big/ small towns and cities simply got burned down because of the ineffective fire fighting arrangements and also because of the building materials that were used at the time; which was mainly wood. Following some of the spectacular losses, some of the parishes organised basic fire-fighting, but none of the regulations or standards that were in force. In the Great Fire of London, in 1666, they changed things and they helped to standardise urban fire fighting. Following the public outcry during the aftermath of probably the most horrific famous fire ever, a property developer called Nicholas Barbon introduced something called (the first kind of insurance against fire). Soon after the formation of all this insurance company, and a bid to help reduce the cost and the number of the claims. Other similar companies then soon followed Nicholas Barbon lead this and was how property was some how protected until the early 1800s. The policy holders were given a badge, of the fire mark, to affix to the building. When a fire started, they would call the Fire Brigade. As they looked for the fire mark and try provided it was the right one, the fire that was would be dealt with. Often the buildings that were left to burn down to the ground the right company came attended! Many of the insurance companies were to merge, including those from London, which will emerge in 1833 to form The London Fire Engine Establishment, whos first Fire Chief was James Braidwood. Braidwood had come to London after he was holding a position of the Chief Officer of Edinburgh Fire brigade. Edinburghs authorities had to be formed to the first properly organised brigade in 1824. A major change in the way fires were fought came into being in the mid 1850s when the first reliable steam powered appliances were adopted by the brigades. These appliances were replaced when the manual engines were allowed a far great quantity of water to be to be directed onto a fire. The Steam powered appliances were only meant to last slightly longer than 50 years due to the introduction of the internal combustion engine in the early 1900s. A guy James Braidwood died in 1861, whist fighting a warehouse fire in Tooley Street in London. Other areas in the UK had either Volunteer for the Fire Brigades or the Town Fire Brigades. It wasnt until the 1938 that many of the brigades were amalgamated. Before the 1938 there were between 1,400 and 1,500 small multiple fire brigades running by most local councils in the UK. In the 1938 the AFS was being followed by the NFS and they were formed. The formation on the NFS would ensure uniformity in much of the basic equipment used by the countrys Fire Brigades during what was the busiest time ever in the history of the UKs Fire Service.

Following the ending of the war in N.F.S was taken over by all the local County Authorities. The Fire Services Act in (1947) became effective on the 1st of April 1948; this resulted in about 148 County Council and County Borough to run Fire Brigades. This means that the act has since been updated as recently in 2004. In 1974 the following local government re-organisation many of the brigades and were amalgamated, losing many City and County Borough Fire Brigades. Further changes were carried out in 1986; this saw the formation of some Municipal Boroughs and some of the County Brigades changed there name and station. More recently, many of these Brigades have been removed from Local Authority to control and have become independent been made Fire Authorities. There are now at present 63 brigades in the whole of North and South West, Ireland and North and South Gloustershire.