History of firefighting

The history of organized firefighting began in ancient Rome while under the rule of the first Roman Emperor Augustus. Prior to that, Ctesibius, a Greek citizen of Alexandria, developed the first fire pump in the third century BC, which was later improved upon in a design by Hero of Alexandria in the first century BC.

Ancient Rome

Roman Emperor Augustus formed a group of slaves, Vigiles, in AD 6 to combat fires using bucket brigades and pumps, as well as poles, hooks and even ballistae to tear down buildings in advance of the flames. The Corps Vigiles patrolled the streets of Rome to watch for fires and served as a police force. The later brigades consisted of hundreds of volunteers, all ready for action. When there was a fire, the men would line up to the nearest water source and pass buckets hand in hand to the fire.

Ancient Rome, known for its architectural marvels and sophisticated infrastructure, was also one of the first civilizations to implement organized firefighting efforts. Under the rule of Emperor Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD, Rome established a rudimentary firefighting force tasked with combating fires that frequently ravaged the city's densely populated neighborhoods.

Prior to the institutionalization of firefighting in Rome, Greek ingenuity contributed significantly to the development of early firefighting apparatus. Ctesibius, a Greek inventor hailing from Alexandria, is credited with creating the first known fire pump around the third century BC. This primitive device, employing principles of pneumatics, utilized water pressure to extinguish fires and was a crucial innovation in the fight against conflagrations.

Rome suffered a number of serious fires, most notably the fire on 19 July AD 64 which eventually destroyed two thirds of Rome.