Fireman

History

Antiquity

The history of the fight organized against the fires starts at the time of the old Egypt, where manual pumps were perhaps used to extinguish fires. However, such attempts were of a limited width when one compares them with the large organizations which developed then with Rome and in many other cities. The first brigade of Roman firemen (the Vigils urbani ) was founded with for mission of fighting the fire by means of buckets and of pumps to transport water, but also of various tools including until catapults S making it possible to destroy the houses before the arrival of the flames in order to contain the hearth of the fire.

Rome underwent many fires of the important width, in particular most known which began with the accesses of the Circus maximus the July 19th 64 and destroyed more of two thirds of the town of Rome. The people which sought a person in charge for this disaster turned towards the emperor Néron who was suspecté to want immortaliser his name by re-electing Rome Neropolis . This one rejetta finally the responsibility on small a sect Eastern, that of the Christian . One tells in connection with this fire that a Romain would have become very rich by buying properties at the time of advanced flames and using teams of slaves to fight against the fire in order to preserve his new acquisitions of the flames.

More recently, another city of big size which knew such a need for organization to fight against the fires is the town of London, which knew big fires in 798, 982 and 989, as well as the Grand fire of London in 1666. This fire, which started in the shop of a baker consumed a surface of approximately 5 km ² of the city, leaving eleven thousand people without dwellings.

The Industrial revolution

The first fire hoses were developed by the inventor Dutch Jan Van der Heiden in 1672. They manufactured in flexible Cuir and were assembled every 15 meters using connection S in Laiton. The length and the connections gave rise to the current standard S.

At the same time, with the the United States, the town of Jamestown, Virginia was completely destroyed by a fire in the month of January 1608. A system of “supervisors” of the fires was set up in the town of New York in 1648. The supervisors had the role of patrolling through the city by inspecting the chimneys of the buildings. The turns of duty were produced by eight people, who awoke the inhabitants to fight the fire, if necessary with simple water buckets. With Boston, big fires which took place in 1653 and 1676 encouraged the city to take important measures to fight against the fires.

The Pump fire was developed by the Londoner Richard Newsham in 1725. Supplies such of the carriages until the place of the fire, these manual pumps were been useful by teams of several men and could deliver up to 12 liters of water a second and this until a 40 meters height.

Benjamin Franklin created in 1736 with Philadelphia the Union Fire Company , first company of volunteers in America. It there have not firemen paid full-time in America before the years 1850. Even after the formation of companies of professional firemen in the United States, the problems of dissensions and control of the distribution of the territories still existed. The companies of New York were famous to send runners carrying of large barrels allowing to cover the hydrants fire before the arrival of the fire pumps. Engagements usually burst between the runners and same the corresponding companies of firemen, in order to have the right to fight fire, and thus to obtain the money which will be given to the company which will have fought the fire.

Following the fire of the embassy of Austria on July 1st 1810, Napoleon created the first professional body firemen. It organized the firemen of Paris in the shape of a military body by the decree of the September 18th 1811. It is since this decree that the term fireman is used officially.

With the the United Kingdom, the first organized company firemen was created with Edinburgh, Scotland (), at the time of the foundation of the establishments Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment in 1824 by James Braidwood. London followed in 1832 with the establishments London Fire Engine Establishment.

The first truck with horse-drawn vapor for the combat against fire was invented in 1829, but it was not accepted in the fire control before the year 1860, then it was still forgotten during two other years. The fire pumps with internal combustion engine arrived in 1907. Built in the United States, they led to the decline and disappearance the steam engines in the years 1925.

Current time

Today, the combat against fire remains a mixture of volunteers and professionals. Typically, the services of fire being in rural sectors are composed primarily of volunteers while the full-time firemen dominate in the urban cities and sectors, even if there are sometimes local exceptions.

Missions and employment

The mission and the statute of the firemen vary from one country to another, but gather in general:

the Fire control;
the setting in safety and the Rescue in the event of accident or of Natural disaster;
Prompt helps urgently (participation in the urgent Medical assistance);

that is to say generally, the protection of the people, the goods, the means of economic production and the environment (fire control, rescue, first aid, fight against the Pollution).

The firemen are often Fonctionnaire S, employed by the State or the territorial collectivities (municipalities, departments, areas…), but in certain places, this public service is delegated at private companies (case of two thirds of the cities of the Denmark in particular).

Certain companies also have personnel of fire control, in particular for the activities at the risk (chemical plants, nuclear installations).

The term “fireman” comes from the pump to arm used before to extinguish the fires (before the arrival of the pumps with vapor, then Engine spark-ignition ). The term “sapper”, used for example in France in the expression “firemen”, comes owing to the fact that the first body created in France by Napoleon Ier was a military body of the genius.

National manpower

In the table below, as total staff complements. For the distinction between professionals with full-time and voluntary part-time, one indicates the percentage of the total staff complement between brackets.

The table below presents the manpower brought back to the population of the countries, expressed of many firemen for: 100000 inhabitants. These statistics make it possible to compare the organizations but do not have to be used to compare the bodies such as they are. Thus, a high number firemen per capita does not mean that they are not very effective, but for example that the population density is low (one needs barracks to intervene quickly but the sector covers few dwellings), or a strong rate of volunteer firemen can mark a strong implication of the population in the civil security (helps and solidarity).

Health risks

Cancers of professional origin in the firemen constitute an important source of concern for all those and those which work in health and occupational safety. Each year, these lesions cause human costs and financial important for the workers and the employers. It is however difficult, in the absence of epidemiological studies, to establish a bond between the appearance of a cancer and the characteristics of employment. However, of recent assessments of epidemiologic literature connected to the question of the cancer risks in the firemen were published.

The firemen would be also particularly reached circulatory troubles in end of a career which had with the extreme requests of the body (in particular of the circulatory system): very fast rise in the cardiac rhythm, in particular the night when those “are bipés” to leave in intervention.

The firemen are, in addition to the physical problems, more exposed than the population to develop psychological disorders such:

of the post-traumatic Stress S (outstanding interventions, etc)
of the sleep disorder (guards of night, etc)

A one fifteen years duration study was launched at the beginning of year 2007 on a sample of 15.000 firemen in order to analyze the “impact” of the trade on their health.

However, of large efforts were provided lately within the help and fire protection organizations in order to improve the conditions of hygiene, of health and safety of the rescuers.

The new generations of firemen would be exposed at these risks thanks to a better formation and an awakening of the stakes of a good hygiene but also of the adoption of elementary rules of safety in intervention, the such systematic port of the Breathing apparatus insulating on all the fires, but also at the time of spoil.

Equipment of the firemen

Protective gears

The risks of the activity make essential the individual use of protective gears (EAR). The most modern behaviors are composed of clothing close to the bodies (shirt and pants) fireproofed, and to a textile jacket of protection (sometimes still out of leather) and to a surpantalon particularly resistant. The presence of a layer of air between clothing and the track suits is important to slow down the progression of heat (effect insulating).

The surpantalon, the jacket of protection, the boot S and the Gant S must protect from the following dangers:

Heat and Fire (Fire): clothing must be fireproofed, stable, slow down the progression of heat towards the skin, prevent the vapor penetration (generated by the watering of fire), and cover the totality of the skin;
mechanical risk: tear, abrasion;
chemical: to prevent the penetration of liquids and to resist the principal aggressive agents (like the Hydrochloric acid and the Soda);
risk of Heat stroke and Dehydration: evacuation of heat and perspiration generated by the effort;
electric: possibility of accidental contact with wire exposed;
visibility of night: clothing comprises reflecting bright colors and bands.

The helmet must moreover protect from the shocks. The firemen also carry a Breathing apparatus isolating (ARI) being composed of a mask facial (visagère) out of rubber covering all the face and connected to a cylinder from compressed air with Détendeur.

The boots must maintain ankle (to avoid the distorsions), to have non-skid soles and anti-perforation, as well as a anti-crashing hull.

Typical vehicles

See also: Amorce=Pour French vehicles, to see the article, Fireman in France

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