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By Robert Keller, Fire Chief
In early Boston, in the days before smoke detectors and automatic
fire alarms, fire groups took turns keeping watch in the streets at
night and signaled a warning of fire using rattles when they spotted
smoke. These groups became known as the Rattle Watch. When fire was
spotted, volunteers would form bucket brigades to fight the fire.
Frequently an entire city block suffered fire damage resulting in
hundreds of people injured or dead, and huge property loses.
In 1721 Richard Newsham took out a patent on the first U.S. made
fire-engine pump. A typical Newsham of the 1730’s had handles on
either side of the wagon and was pulled by horses to the scene of
the fire. The advantage of the side-pumper was that more men could
be fitted in along the pump handle, which in turn provided greater
pumping power. Additional horse drawn wagons were equipped to carry
ladders or fire hose.
In larger cities, insurance companies formed fire brigades to
protect their insured structures. Since there were several fire
insurance companies it was common for more than one fire brigade to
exist in the city. Upon arrival at a fire, the first action taken
was to check for a fire insurance marker. If one did not exist, or
if it belonged to a competitor’s company, the fire brigade simply
went home leaving the structure to burn.
Rivalries developed between the various brigades out of a sense of
pride and to see which brigade could reach the fire first. Fire
brigades fitted bells and gongs to their wagons to clear the way,
and some brought water with them. The men began to bunk at the
firehouse for the night so that they would be quicker to respond in
the case of a night alarm.
The art of fighting a fire was very labor intensive, often requiring
volunteers from the crowd to keep the manual pumps going. Following
a major fire in New York City, a steam engine built by Paul Hodge
made its debut in 1840. His design was self-propelled but could be
drawn by horses. With the introduction of steam power to turn the
pump, more men could be directed to actually fight the fire.
Although very costly, steam powered pumpers continued in the fire
service into the early 1900’s when the first gasoline/kerosene
powered pumpers were developed.
Today, the job of a firefighter is very different from those early
days in Boston and New York. Modern technology has eliminated the
need for a fire watch and improved building codes reduce the chance
of a major fire damaging an entire neighborhood. A dangerous job
that few other than early immigrants would take is today a
profession admired by children and adults alike. Certainly in the
aftermath of 9-11, the public awareness and appreciation of
firefighters has risen sharply.
Our fire department in Brimfield was organized in 1934 as a
volunteer fire department. The first fire truck, pictured in this
article, was built by members of the department on a school bus
chassis. Herb Cookus served as the first fire chief and the fire
station was located in the lower level of the Townhall. The building
is still in use today and can be seen adjacent to the current fire
station along S.R. 43.
Brimfield firefighters are trained to fight fires but the services
offered by the fire department today are much broader than even 30
years ago. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for example, accounts
for approximately 75% of our call volume. All firefighters today are
also trained as EMT’s or paramedics, and in specialized areas such
as hazardous materials, fire prevention, public education and auto
extrication.
Over the next year in The Brimfield Township Times I plan to expand
on some of our specialized fire department operations and explain
how each contributes to the safety of our community. Just as the
fire service has evolved in the United States since the early days
in Boston, the nature and demands of the fire service in Brimfield
have changed since its inception in 1934. We are proud of our
history of service to the community and pledge to meet the current
and future needs as our community continues to grow.
Some of the information for this article was obtained from “The Fire
Engine, An Illustrated History” by Simon Goodenough (Chartwell
Books, Inc.), 1989.
Contact Information
BRIMFIELD
FIRE DEPARTMENT
1333 Tallmadge Rd -
Kent, Ohio 44240
Fire Chief:
Robert Keller
Phone:
330-678-9244
Fax: 330-678-4234
E-mail:
brimfieldfire@neo.rr.com
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