TIP #523 - FIRE! Thanks for the tremendous response to the tip of last week on the railroading days. This week, I'd like to look at another unsung hero whose job has changed a lot over the years, but still has the same goal - the saving of human lives and if possible, saving of homes, businesses, barns and many structures. From the earliest fireman to those who gave their lives on 911 and beyond, the fireman is a noble breed with tremendous bravery. For my main source for this tip are the minutes of the city where I live, Glasgow, Kentucky. Other sources will be shown. Think back into the early to mid 1800's when most homes were constructed of wood and the woods were close to the homes. Not many brick structures yet dotted the landslide although some of the more affluent could afford to build brick structures. Burning was done outside the house or cabin; cooking was done on a fireplace in the cabin or in an outside kitchen in a separate structure. Hook and ladders hadn't been invented yet and each city had to prepare for fires. At a meeting here in February 1840, the Board of Trustees took up the matter of creating a fire department. Before the advent of the fire department of course, fires were put out by bucket brigades manned by friends and neighbors. But, now it was time to organize a special department trained to put out fires and to organize the citizens so they could help. I imagine the rules were the same in all small communities with some variations but here are the regulations here: 1. All male citizens from the age of 18 to 55 were required to enroll their names at the City Clerk's office and be available to serve in the Glasgow Fire Company. 2. Officers to consist of 3 Directors, 1 first engineer, 1 second engineer, twelve 3rd engineers, four fire men; these to be appointed by the Trustees of the town. The city was responsible for appointing others due to death, resignation or removal. 3. Within 20 days all those appointed in #2 had to assemble on the square and have drills which were conducted monthly. Fines were issued to those who failed to show up (25 cents). The Directors were to procure a cap for each of the officers and firemen with a personal number on it. The officers were to also procure a "speaking trumpet" to give orders so he can be heard. 4. The #3 engineers should, when signaled for a fire, "repair in haste" to the place where the engine is kept and then take orders from the #1 engineer (or in his absence, the #2 engineer). A $2.00 fine was imposed if these steps were not followed. 5. Houses were designated 1st class, 2nd class and 3rd class. The first class houses were those worth from $3,000-$4,000 and the owners were issued 3 fire buckets. Second class houses were worth $2,000-$3,000 and they received 2 fire buckets. 3rd class houses were those worth from $1,000-2,000 and they received one fire bucket. The owners of the homes had to purchase their own buckets as a price of $2.00, $4.00 and $6.00 depending on the classification. Citizens refusing to pay for their fire buckets were fined from $3.00-$10.00 and then $1.00 a month for every month they refused. 6. The city was charged with buying the buckets, of fine leather, and carve or paint on each bucket the name or the first letter of the name of the citizen who purchased them, then delivering them to the home owner. 7. The home owner was to place the fire bucket over their front door to make it convenient for grabbing in case of fire. If the individual refused or failed to hang the bucket where it belonged, they would be fined from 25 cents to $5.00 for each offense and fined every 24 hours thereafter. The Fire Engine: For some great photos of the old fire wagons (horse drawn) and fire engines, go to: http://www.famousfoto.com/fire_photos.htm Originally, the fire wagon was pulled by manpower, but was finally replaced by horses. In many locations, the replacement of man by beast was fought against as it was felt it would put men out of work who were trained to pull the wagon. For an interesting story from New York, check out: http://www.equisearch.com/lifestyle/thelife/eqfirehors535/ Some wonderful firefighting Currier and Ives scenes of olden times can be found at: http://www.hammerdown.com/c_i_prints.html One fire department described how the horses were trained to pull the wagons: Through the years, the Fire Dept. used horse drawn equipment utilizing 12 horses, with four being stabled at any given time. The horses were trained so that in the least amount of time the wagons could roll. The horses stables were in the rear of the Fire Barn, with the wagons located near the front doors. The horses harnesses were suspended on a hook above the wagon tongue. When the alarm sounded the stable gate would automatically open and the trained horses would bolt to their positions at the wagon tongue as the harnesses would drop on their backs and be fastened to the wagon. The on duty horses always had their bits in their mouth and bridles on. The bits were removed only during feeding time. The old-time firefighters would testify they could harness their horses and be out of the station as fast as the modern firemen could do the same with their motorized trucks. The training of these horses was handled in a very unique manner. A rope was tied to the horse's bridle, with the other end attached to the wagon tongue. As the alarm sounded, a man, standing behind the horse, would touch the horse with the whip and the horse would follow his natural instinct to the wagon tongue where he was fastened in his harness. This practice was repeated until the response from the horse was automatic. In the early days of the horse drawn fire wagons it was not unusual to see the wagons approaching turns at full speed, broadsiding the wagon around the turn and sometimes upsetting themselves, scattering hose and ladders about the street. http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/7819/History2.htm Much has changed over the years; men were replaced by horses who were later put out to pasture and replaced by motor driven engines. The fire departments expanded and eventually had their own building. In most cities, the firemen are regularly paid employees of the city and when on duty, sleep and cook at their own facilities. The smaller communities to this day have the marvelous volunteer firemen who come running at the ring of their telephone to save a neighbor's farm or house. They do this without pay and many times without recognition of their hours of service. The fireman's environments may have changed, their equipment improved, their training intensified, but they are still, as they have been from the first bucket brigades, heroes. Thousands upon thousands have died in the line of service as they struggled to bring out a baby from a burning house, or had a building collapse on them. If any of your family members or ancestors were firemen, I hope you take the time to learn a little more about what they did, possibly some fires they fought, equipment they might have used; expand your genealogy past the proverbial names and dates. In closing, a little bit of trivia. No fire station worth it's salt (well most of them!) have a Dalmation dog riding beside them. Did you ever wonder why? There are three major reasons given by researchers of such things: Many years ago, Dalmatians were used to chase rats out of the fire stations and horse stables of London. The dogs also guided the horse-pulled fire wagons through city streets. Another suggestion is that these hard-working dogs were trained to escort the fire engine to protect the horses from stray dogs and other animals. The distinctive spots of the Dalmatian made it easy for the horses to distinguish from other dogs. Yet another - The dogs escorted the horse-drawn carriage in order to quiet the horses. Once on the scene, however, the dog had other duties as well, including safeguarding the fire equipment from vandalism and theft. (c) Copyright 13 January 2005. Colonel Sandi Gorin SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html Gorin Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/