WPBFD History

extinguishment or covering of all fires by 9:00 p.m. was also enforced to prevent fires while people slept. In 1658 Stuyvesant appointed eight men to patrol the streets of Manhattan. These members of the rattle watch were distinguished by their long capes and noisemakers. Early American firefighting tactics were basic and required the help of all citizens. The bucket brigade, despite its severe limitations, was used throughout the colonies for lack of anything better. Townspeople would rush to the fire scene with their leather buckets. Two lines would be formed leading from the scene of the fire to the nearest water source. One line, usually women and children, would pass empty buckets back to the water supply where they would be filled and passed back down the other line and thrown in the general direction of the fire. Hot embers were doused with water soaked swabs mounted on the ends of long poles. These methods at best prevented the spread of fire to other buildings. A conflagration struck London on Sunday, September 2, 1666. The inferno raged out of control for five days consuming two-thirds of the city. Numerous churches, warehouses, and other buildings were destroyed along with some 13,000 homes. More than a hundred thousand people were left homeless in the ashes. An ironic note of firefighting history is that early Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans apparently knew the principle of pumping or throwing water. This principle was lost until the early 1500s when several "water engines" were developed. None of these water engines had been put into practical use at the time of the London conflagration. The bucket brigade was still throwing water with little success. The excessive losses in the London catastrophe spurred development of the first hand-tub water engines. These were basically a small rectangular storage box with a condensing case mounted on the top. Two handle-operated pistons were connected to the condensing case as well as a large water nozzle. The storage box was supplied water by the traditional bucket brigade, while volunteers worked the pistons which forced water out through the nozzle. Water engines had to be placed extremely close to the fire to prove effective, but this was a vast improvement over the simple bucket brigade. In 1871 Chicago, compared to other cities, had a modern, well-equipped fire department. The forces included 17 steam fire engines, 23 hose

carts, 4 hook-and-ladder wagons, and 185 well- paid firemen. On Sunday night, October 8, 1871, fire broke out in the O'Leary barn and quickly spread out of control. At sunrise on Tuesday morning the massive damage became evident. Some 17,500 buildings were gone, 300 people were dead, and 100,000 were homeless. Property damage amounted to $400 million. Thirty-two years later Chicago was the sight of another tragic fire. The "fireproof" Iroquois Theater was packed with 2,400 people on Wednesday, December 30, 1903. On stage a piece of canvas accidentally brushed against a hot light and ignited. Even though the fire caused minimal damage to the theater, 589 people died in the panic to escape. History shows the need for fire protection in urban areas to prevent such large scale disasters from occurring. Without adequate resources to ensure fire codes are followed or to check the spread of fire, people would live in constant fear of the red devil. Today, late in the twentieth century, Benjamin Franklin's words still hold true. Fire is essential in our daily lives, providing for our basic needs and comfort. But when allowed to become its own master, fire is indeed something to fear. When the genie escapes, running unchecked as it pleases, firefighters are called to perform miracles. As we shall see, it is not always easy to put the genie back in the bottle.

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