"5-Day Inferno That Sparked the Birth of the World's First Fire Brigade''
Edinburgh's first fire chief was 23-year-old building inspector James Braidwood
Article description
Author, Morag Kneiberg
Position, BBC, Scotland
January, 04, 2025
In the 19th century, Edinburgh's city centre was full of buildings, many of which were made of wood.
Most businesses and homes relied on fire for cooking, heating and all sorts of work, but when the fire got out of control, it spread rapidly through the narrow streets of what we now call the old town.
Few people had buckets to put out fires, and those who could afford it paid insurance companies to sound the alarm and put out the fire.
The Edinburgh Police Commissioner, who was responsible for maintaining order in the city, alleged that the firefighters were not properly equipped, were not well-organized, were not properly trained and educated, and lacked the necessary information and awareness.
Commercial insurance companies competed with each other for business and sometimes even fought over the supply of water.
Their work was primarily preventive: the more they could save from fire, the lower the insurance claim from the insured.
David Ferris spent 55 years as a firefighter and volunteer
“It was a job they did in a hurry, threw water on the smoke and hoped for the best,” says Dave Ferris, ambassador for the Scottish Fire Heritage Museum.
“As far as insurance goes, there were sometimes fights among firefighters fighting over water supplies.”
He also says that “nobody was going into the fire and trying to put it out, they were just throwing buckets of water out of the windows, but most people were unable to put it out and as a result, most of the property was destroyed.”
A major fire incident
Hand-operated water pump
David Ferris spent 55 years as a firefighter and volunteer and is now an ambassador for Edinburgh Museums.
He says a major fire in the old part of the city in 1824 forced authorities to look for better ways to put out fires in the city.
A major fire in Edinburgh that autumn burned for five days, destroying buildings packed with people, killing 13 people and leaving hundreds homeless.
Edinburgh Fire Brigade was the first fire brigade in the world to be funded by the city government and the service was free to the public.
The city’s first ‘fire chief’ was 23-year-old building inspector James Braidwood, now known as the ‘father of the modern fire service’.
Braidwood organised a much more integrated and efficient service, with better training, physical fitness and communication systems.
He helped design and manufacture everything from special helmets with neck protection to Scotland’s first fire engine, which was pulled by firefighters.
The fire engines were manned by twelve men, who pulled the ‘handle’ 24 times a minute. Any member of the public who helped was paid and given free beer.
The first firefighters recruited worked without machinery. These employees included slate makers, carpenters and bricklayers. They were between 17 and 25 years old. These workers knew about building construction.
“They were easily attracted to the work and easy to train,” wrote Braidwood.
Those who maintained the ‘fire truck’ well were praised, while those who were negligent were fined.
Fire brigades across the country emulated the Edinburgh Fire Brigade
World-renowned
Referring to Braidwood, Friese says that he created a fire department that became world-famous.
“People came to Edinburgh from all over the British Isles and abroad to see how the system worked.”
Bradwood wrote a book about the process of developing the system in 1830, at the insistence of the people, which became a guide for firefighters.
He recorded in this book all the details of how he did it all.
Tania Drone, of Edinburgh’s Mercat Tours, says that James Braidwood introduced many new methods in terms of fire-fighting methods and the use of equipment.
“Until then, people did not go into buildings to put out fires; they tried to put them out from the outside,” she says.
James Braidwood trained people to enter a building that was in flames.
According to him, ‘He developed new equipment and also ensured that he was an authority in the profession in Edinburgh, which was recognised so that when a fire broke out, the fire was put out under his guidance.’
‘Today we are all very grateful for the fire services we have and the work they do, but I think it is easy to forget where it all came from and very few people realise that this system came to them from Edinburgh city centre.’
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#History #United_Kingdom
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