My Firefighter Nation
Firefighting History & Traditions
Here we will talk about various topics relating directly to the history of firefighting, our equipment and various other items.
imagine during this period the progress in these 60 odd years on one hand
1841 - First American steam fire engine, New York, used only a few months.
1845 - Philadelphia burns, 900 buildings.
1847-1854 - 1.6M Irish immigrate following famine, many take to firefighting.
1840s-1850s - First facilities for hanging hose in fire stations.
1848 - Albany burns, 600 buildings.
1849 - St. Louis burns, 430 buildings and 23 steamboats.
1851 - Cincinnati suffers major fire while volunteer firefighters riot. City commissions building of steam engine and organizes salaried department.
1851 - Buffalo, NY burns. 200 buildings.
1851 - Philly burns. 400 buildings.
1852 - First fire box alarm, Boston.
1853 - Cincinnati becomes first fully-paid fire department.
1853 - Cincinnati tests first successful American steam engine.
1857 - Louisville KY and then St. Louis MO become second and third fully-paid fire departments.
1863 - Fire extinguisher patented.
1864 - Chemical fire engine invented, France.
1865 - New York forms fully-paid FD.
1868 - First successful aerial ladder invented by Daniel Hayes, San Francisco.
1870 - Rubber, cotton-covered hose developed.
1870 or so - Red brick architecture begins to dominate municipal buildings.
1870 or so - Isolated residential districts are rare before this time.
1871 - Philadelphia forms fully-paid fire department.
1871 - Quick horse hitch likely invented, Saint Joseph, MO. ok but not Hanging I am guessing
1871 - Great Chicago Fire.
1872 - Automatic sprinkler patented, Abington, MA.
1873 - Hanging horse harness invented, Cambridge, MA. see above
1873 - First iron-hull fire boat, Boston.
1873 - International Association of Fire Engineers holds first convention and adopts standard hose coupling size.
1876 (or 1879) - First water tower developed, consisting of 50-foot mast sections assembled at scene and raised by cranks and gears.
1878 - First fire pole, Chicago, IL. <==Wooden
1878 - Seamless cotton hose appears by this time. The hose is also capable of being packed flat, unlike rubber hose which required rolling on a reel. Hose wagons are developed to transport the new hose.
1880 - First brass fire pole, Worchester, MA. <== Brass
1882 - Pompier/scaling ladder patented, St. Louis. <== questionable....
1901 (or 1902) - Spring-raise aerial ladder invented by Seagrave, Columbus, OH. <== Not the first no Hayes'
1903 - Iroquois Theater burns, Chicago, spurs new fire inspection laws.
1906 - San Francisco earthquake and fire.
1845 - Philadelphia burns, 900 buildings.
1847-1854 - 1.6M Irish immigrate following famine, many take to firefighting.
1840s-1850s - First facilities for hanging hose in fire stations.
1848 - Albany burns, 600 buildings.
1849 - St. Louis burns, 430 buildings and 23 steamboats.
1851 - Cincinnati suffers major fire while volunteer firefighters riot. City commissions building of steam engine and organizes salaried department.
1851 - Buffalo, NY burns. 200 buildings.
1851 - Philly burns. 400 buildings.
1852 - First fire box alarm, Boston.
1853 - Cincinnati becomes first fully-paid fire department.
1853 - Cincinnati tests first successful American steam engine.
1857 - Louisville KY and then St. Louis MO become second and third fully-paid fire departments.
1863 - Fire extinguisher patented.
1864 - Chemical fire engine invented, France.
1865 - New York forms fully-paid FD.
1868 - First successful aerial ladder invented by Daniel Hayes, San Francisco.
1870 - Rubber, cotton-covered hose developed.
1870 or so - Red brick architecture begins to dominate municipal buildings.
1870 or so - Isolated residential districts are rare before this time.
1871 - Philadelphia forms fully-paid fire department.
1871 - Quick horse hitch likely invented, Saint Joseph, MO. ok but not Hanging I am guessing
1871 - Great Chicago Fire.
1872 - Automatic sprinkler patented, Abington, MA.
1873 - Hanging horse harness invented, Cambridge, MA. see above
1873 - First iron-hull fire boat, Boston.
1873 - International Association of Fire Engineers holds first convention and adopts standard hose coupling size.
1876 (or 1879) - First water tower developed, consisting of 50-foot mast sections assembled at scene and raised by cranks and gears.
1878 - First fire pole, Chicago, IL. <==Wooden
1878 - Seamless cotton hose appears by this time. The hose is also capable of being packed flat, unlike rubber hose which required rolling on a reel. Hose wagons are developed to transport the new hose.
1880 - First brass fire pole, Worchester, MA. <== Brass
1882 - Pompier/scaling ladder patented, St. Louis. <== questionable....
1901 (or 1902) - Spring-raise aerial ladder invented by Seagrave, Columbus, OH. <== Not the first no Hayes'
1903 - Iroquois Theater burns, Chicago, spurs new fire inspection laws.
1906 - San Francisco earthquake and fire.
Timothy J. Gaffney, Jr.
May 9, 2011