History of Firefighting in Boston

Welcome to Did You Know a video series about Massachusetts where we take a look at interesting tidbits of state history. Each video will cover a different part of Massachusetts history and culture. Today, our topic is the history of firefighting in Boston. Did you know that the Boston Fire Department is the oldest paid fire department in the United States?

Let's find out more. Early colonial cities, including Boston, faced the constant threat of fires, destroying property and killing people. Fire wardens and societies were established in the 17th and 18th centuries to protect areas of the city, leading to the establishment of the Boston Fire Department in 1826. The BFD and other Boston Emergency Services have worked to save people from fires and disasters for over 150 years, while improving firefighting technology to save more lives.

Today, we will learn about the history of firefighting in Boston, the roots of Boston firefighting date back to 1631, when the first fire ordinance was passed and the newly established city banning thatched roofs and wooden shingles. The first fire engine, the colony was created in 1653. It may have been made with the aid of Joseph James, senior, the owner of the Saugus Ironworks, and the holder of the first machine patent in North America.

The engine failed in its first major fire, showing the limitations of firefighting technology at the time. In 1678, the first paid fire department in Boston was formally established, with Thomas Adkins becoming its first chief. The engine they use imported from England was placed in a shed to hold it, creating the first firehouse in the city. In 1712, the department appointed its first fire awards officials for different areas of Boston who were in charge of maintaining and operating five equipment in their area.

Two prominent fire awards included Thomas Melville and Alan Melville, the grandfather and great grandfather of the author Herman Melville. It wasn't until 1799, though, that the fire department was able to import their first weather hose from England. The hose supplemented firewood buckets that were kept in many homes at the time. On April 29th, 1826, Boston Mayor Joseph McQueen signed an order establishing the Boston Fire Department, replacing the fire wardens and fire societies that handled firefighting and maintained fire equipment.

This company was made up of volunteers who were paid only if they were the first to arrive at the scene of a fire. This led to competition and occasional fights between rival fire companies across the city. On June 11th, 1837, the Bond Street riot broke out between two fire companies composed of Protestant Bostonians and Catholic Irish immigrants in a funeral procession.

The resulting brawl, fueled by anti-Irish sentiment, eventually led to 800 people fighting on board feet and the riot was only broken up when Mayor Samuel Elliott called in the militia to restore order. This incident led Elliott to establish a professional paid fire department to replace the volunteer based one. The department was reorganized that year under a new set of rules and used 14 horse drawn fire engines for operations.

In 1851, the BRT installed a telegraph based fire alarm system around the city, becoming the first department in the world to do so. In 1859, Engine Company eight started using the department's first steam engine, which replaced the old hand-crank engines within the next two years. That year, the BFD also started hiring full time crew instead of part time fire.

On November 9th, 1872, the Great Boston Fire was the largest fire in the city's history. Started in a warehouse on A3 287 Summer Street. The fire burned 65 acres in downtown Boston, including the Boston Globe and Boston Herald offices, and killed 13 people, including two Boston firemen. The fire was visible from the coast of Maine and fire companies from Connecticut and New Hampshire were called in to help fight it.

Efforts to fight the fire were hampered by low water pressure on hydrants and the narrow streets with closed wooden freight buildings. Water was unable to reach the top floors of tall buildings, making it easy for the fire to spread across rooftops quickly amid the fire. Firefighters and citizens worked desperately to save the Old South meeting house where Patriots met before the Boston Tea Party.

After many hours of effort, including placing wet logs on the roof to keep off sparks, the fire was extinguished in the area. The fire left the city of Boston to appoint a board of fire commissioners. Later changed to one fire commissioner to oversee fire safety and building codes in the area. The BFD continued to innovate its technology into the start of the 20th century.

Purchasing its first fire boat, the William Flanders, in 1873, named after a member of the Boston Common Council and installing fire poles and stations starting with engine for his firehouse in 1881. On July 29th, 1910, the BFD purchased its first fire truck with an internal combustion engine spelling the beginning of the end for Worcester on steam engines, which were retired in 1923.

Radios were added to fire trucks. The fire chiefs, car fire boats and other equipment in 1925 to aid in communication. On November 28, 1942, the Coconut Grove nightclub in Boston caught on fire, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub fire in history and the second deadliest single building fire in American history. The club had boarded up all entrances except the front door to prevent customers from leaving without paying.

And the front entrance was only accessible by a revolving door which became jammed and broke as panicked patrons tried to escape. In addition, the club was decorated with fabric covered walls and ceilings that were improperly treated with flame repellent and support. Columns were decorated as promises with attached light bulbs, adding fuel and deadly chemicals to the fast moving fire.

This tragedy led to new laws on fire codes and fire safety for buildings, requiring public spaces to include outward swinging push to open doors alongside revolving doors, banning flammable decorations, forbidding property owners from barring emergency exits, and requiring clearly visible exit signs in all areas. The fire also led to new medical techniques developed at Massachusetts General Hospital for treating smoke inhalation and burns caused by fire.

The early to mid 20th century saw the expansion of the BFD and by 1960 they operated 48 engines, 29 ladders, one rescue truck and two fire boats. The department broke from tradition by switching to lime green trucks in the 1970s, but switched back to the traditional red in 1984. By 2000, they had upgraded their equipment again, replacing the 85 foot ladder trucks with trucks equipped with 100 foot ladders.

Today, Boston firefighters who died in the line of duty are honored at the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial at Ashburton Park on the west side of the statehouse. The bronze statue stand on a black Lynn and Maltese cross and are surrounded by a granite wing of the ring of honor inscribed with the names of fallen firefighters. The memorial also has attached gardens, paving stones with the names of additional fallen firefighters and a memorial fire bell that is rung during ceremonies.

The memorial was designed by the local artist Robert Shaw, and a ceremony is held there every September 11th to honor local firefighters and add the names of those who died the previous year. Today, the Boston Fire Department continues to serve the city of Boston and save lives from fires and other disasters whenever they occur. Continuing the tradition of Boston fire fighting.

Thanks for joining me to learn about firefighting in Boston. If you'd like to learn more, check out these resources. Thank you for watching.