OK so I am on a tear this week.

With the talk of guys who are too old, old timers, etc, I thought why not have a little test for our members.

ready...

Answer the questions in the box directly below the post, before looking at others answers.

Ted Bownas got all of them right, check your answers against his after posting!


1) Who is the father of the American Fire Service?

2) How were Dalmations used in the fire service, before they were mascots?

3) Where was the first historical reference to an organized fire service noted?

4) What was a fire mark?

5) Where did the term Plug Ugly come from?
here's a hint, it wasn't Gangs of New York

6) Where did the term "Kelly Day" originate?

7) What fire took 6-12 times as many lives as the "Great Chicago Fire" and ocured on the same day?

8) First Fully Paid U.S. Fire Department?
a. Phily
b. New York
c. Cincinnatti
d. Boston

9) Why do officers wear Bugles instead of Bars?

10) Who is Alexandria Virginia's most famous Volunteer Firefighter?

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#1 = Ben Franklin
#2 - #7 = Unsure
#8 = Philly
#9 = In the early days Bugles were used by officers to give orders and they had then become the symbol of officership.
#10 = unsure.
I'm not brushed up on all my history but then again I'm not bashing any of our older members or wishing they would go away. they are definitely a valuable part of organizations around the world.
1. Ben Franklin

2. Companions and protectors of the horse teams

3. Depends on whether you are talking the US, or the world.

4. Used to designate which insurance company the building was protected by, which determined what fire company would extinguish the fire.

5. A Hook and Ladder Company I believe in Maryland

6. Chicago, mandatory day off

7. October 8, 1871 the Pestigo forest fire in Wisconsin. Almost 1200 persons perished.

8. Cincinnatti

9. The chief officer used a bugle to communicate on the fire ground.

10. George Washington
Oldman seems to have it right; 3 and 5 I have no idea, 7 is right but as a side note some historians believe this same meteor shower caused the Chicago fire.
Plug Ugly - Back in time, in the big city, when there was competing independant fire companies, certain companies hired ruffians - guys who would fight for whoever paid them. Many of them had been in so many fistfights they were pretty ugly from the beatings.
When there was a fire these ruffians would run to the closest fire hydrant and guard it for the fire company that hired them. Many times there were fights at the hydrants. Civilians began calling these hydrant guarding, fist fighting ruffians - Plug Uglies. So goes the story.
I love this topic. I start each and every training class with a little fire service history. I feel it is important to know where we started to see where we need to go.

When is the test going to be graded?
#3 I believe would be Jamestown.
#5 Would butt ugly be the same as plug ugly?
#10 Senator Joe Biden
Ted...outstanding!

You get a 100
All but #3 Rome and #5 Cincy...great job!
will give ya a 45 dt...

Check Teds response below for all the answers...
Stay tuned for a more challenging part 2 later this week...
and you probably got 2-3 times as many as most would have...
1 ben fraklin
2 they were companions to the horses. the ran out in front of the horses to warn others. they chased away other dogs that would scare the horses.
3 rome
4 a sign to designate what fire company protected a structure.
5 fights over fire plugs when the first water only were paid.
6 irish firefighter
7 the great prestige fire it was a wildland interface.
8 new york
9 they used speaking bugles or speaking trumpets to call out orders
10 thomas jefferson

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