victorian era    
Alarm Boxes Fire Alarms Cards Equipment Equipment List
Although the same senses of urgency and excitement have been around since the nineteenth century, much has changed in the actual firefighting process over the years. Up until the 17th century, firefighting consisted of bucket brigades. Two long lines of any able-bodied citizens in the area would pass heavy buckets of water from a fire station or from the surrounding water to the location of the fire and empty buckets back to the source. Needless to say, this was a very ineffective way to fight fires, as a lot of water was lost in the transport. It was a tireless job that tested the strength of even the strongest firefighters at the time.
     Additionally, the firefighters were required by law to mitigate the damage done to property by their firefighting techniques. As such, the Salvage Unit was created. This group of firefighters would arrive on scene alongside the rest of the firefighters with tarps, mops, buckets, squeegees, and other equipment used to protect property from water damage. For example, if there was a fire on the upper floor of a building, the Salvage Unit was responsible for entering the lower floors (assuming it was safe to do so), and cover unharmed property with tarps.
    More and more inventions arrived in the firefighting world, each making the firefighting process easier but the transportation more difficult. An example is the portable water tower, which was invented to fight fires on top floors of buildings. It was a large tank that could be raised both manually and using gears to pour a steady stream of water on the upper part of a burning structure.


Horses

Fire Engine


Ladders

   
Movie

Feeding Old 21's Horses


Harol Levy
On: Horses
Quicktime - 1.4mb