Fire-Fighting Equipment
Among the earliest attempts to organize fire-fighting were the ancient Egyptians' gathering of volunteer fire-fighters and the Romans' use of slaves stationed in strategic locations to spot and douse fires. The Greeks and Romans even devised primitive fire engines--small human-powered water pumps mounted on wheels or skids. But for many centuries fire fighting essentially consisted of little more than bucket brigades. The great London fire of 1666, which decimated nearly thirteen thousand buildings, drew attention to the need for preparedness in the face of fire emergencies. Hand-operated pumps on wheels drawn by humans came into use, replaced in the l800s by horse-drawn wagons. These early pumps could produce streams of water of no more than fifty ft. (l5.25 m). In 1830, John Giraud of Baltimore invented a pump with a chamber of compressed air that ultimately was capable of boosting the stream of water delivered through the leather hoses to about two hundred ft. (62 m). The first fire alarms were invented by Ithiel Richardson in 1830. He ran strings through rooms of a building that, when burned through, would set off a central bell. Rufus Porter used a metal bar that would drop onto a bell apparatus when heated. Welshman George William Manby (l765-l854) invented the first portable fire extinguisher in 1813. The four-gallon copper vessel contained water and compressed air. Later extinguisher designs were chemically activated and were capable of putting out electrical and oil fires. A rescue ladder attached to a fire wagon on a revolving base was first introduced in 1840. That same year P.
R. Hodge developed a prototype steam-powered fire engine. However, it was not until 1852, when A. B. Little made improvements to it, that the steam-powered engine was accepted for use by firemen. Gasoline-powered engines came into use in the 1900s. No longer was it necessary to "fire up" the engines to build up steam before responding to the fire. The entire set of mechanical equipment could be operated automatically by electricity. Modern fire trucks are fully equipped with life-support systems and a range of tools for battling fires, including pumps capable of throwing 750 to 2,000 gal. (2,838.75 to 7,570 l) of water per minute, steel water towers, and ladders that can extend over a hundred ft. (30.5 m) into the air. Sophisticated alarm systems are activated directly from commercial and industrial sites. The computerized Enhanced 9-1-1 Telephone System allows individuals quick-dial access to emergency services.Fire fighting chemicals as well as water are delivered as needed.Special measures are often required for other types of fires. The main course of action in fighting a forest fire for example, is to contain it rather than extinguish it. Fire fighters are flown or driven in to create a fire line. The line is formed by cutting, dousing, or burning a break in the trees in the hope of stopping the fire's advance. Ships at sea must have their own fire-fighting capabilities. In harbors, fireboats can be called into action.
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