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 News Thanks for stopping by. We are new to the web. We hope you like it and please, feel free to e-mail us, we'd love to hear from you! On this site you will find pictures from various things, fires, accidents, events and fire department pictures. Also, you will find information on fire prevention, firefighting history and firefighting in the movies and television.
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Mark Mailand
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Steve Wiley
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Firefighting History Tidbits
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The Maltese Cross
The badge of a fireman is the Maltese Cross.
This Maltese Cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor.
Its story is hundreds of years old.
When a courageous band of crusaders known as the Knights of St. John, fought the Saracens for possession of the holy land, they encountered a new weapon unknown to European warriors. It was a simple, but a horrible device of war, it wrought excruciating pain and agonizing death upon the brave fighters for the cross.The Saracen's weapon was fire.
As the crusaders advanced on the walls of the city, they were struck by glass bombs containing naphtha. When they became saturated with the highly flammable liquid, the Saracens hurled a flaming torch into their midst.Hundreds of the knights were burned alive; others risked their lives to save their brothers-in-arms from dying painful, fiery deaths.
Thus, these men became our first firemen and the first of a long list of courageous firefighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow crusaders who awarded each hero a badge of honor - a cross similar to the one firemen wear today. Since the Knights of St. John lived for close to four centuries on a little island in the Mediterranean Sea named Malta, the cross came to be known as the Maltese Cross.
The Maltese Cross is your symbol of protection. It means that the fireman who wears this cross is willing to lay down his life for you just as the crusaders sacrificed their lives for their fellow man so many years ago. The Maltese Cross is a fireman's badge of honor, signifying that he works in courage - a ladder rung away from death.
The Dalmatian has been the fire dog since the fire department used horses. Dalmatians were bred for endurance and stamina. Dalmatians are not fast dogs but are able to run for long periods of time without rest. Dalmatians were trained to escort the horse drawn engine to the fire scene and prevent stray dogs from interfering. The spotted Dalmatians were easy for the horses to distinguish from the other dogs. Once at the fire scene Dalmatians would continue to protect the horses from other animals.
Chicago before the Great Fire
The summer of 1871 was very dry, leaving the ground parched and the wooden city vulnerable. On Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, just after nine o'clock, a fire broke out in the barn behind the home of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary at 13 DeKoven Street. How the fire started is still unknown today.
The firefighters, exhausted from fighting a large fire the day before, were first sent to the wrong neighborhood. When they finally arrived at the O'Leary's, they found the fire raging out of control. The blaze quickly spread east and north. Wooden houses, commercial and industrial buildings, and private mansions were all consumed in the blaze.
The Great Chicago Fire, an artists rendering, Chicago in Flames -
The Rush for Lives Over Randolph Street Bridge
After two days, rain began to fall. On the morning of October 10, 1871, the fire died out, leaving complete devastation in the heart of the city. At least 300 people were dead, 100,000 people were homeless, and $200 million worth of property was destroyed. The entire central business district of Chicago was leveled. The fire was one of the most spectacular events of the nineteenth century, and it is recognized as a major milestone in the city's history.
Corner of State and Madison After the Fire, 1871 -- Four horse-drawn streetcars at "the world's busiest intersection," as men in the street ponder the future of the downtown. Some broadsides, perhaps indicating the new addresses of businesses, are already posted, and the rubble is being gathered into piles, but the awesome wreck of the old city and the smoky atmosphere still dominate the scene.
THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE
THE RECOVERY
After a brief period of shock, Chicagoans began to rebuild their city. Within days a few pioneer businesses sprang up in sheds and stands among the ruins, and traffic started moving again. The rubble was swept away, a good portion of it pushed into the lake south of the river to make new real estate. Basic services were quickly started up again in temporary locations--the post office, for example, was set up in the Methodist Church on the corner of Wabash and Harrison.
Saint Florian
Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, was an officer in the Roman army during the third century. Florian had converted to Christianity but kept his new faith a secret to avoid persecution. When ordered to execute a group of Christians during the persecutions of Diocletian, Florian proffessed his faith and refused to follow the order. He then had a stone tied around his neck and he was thrown into a river where he drowned.
Florian is said to have once stopped an entire town from burning by throwing a single bucket of water onto the fire. Saint Florian is the patron saint of firefighters, chimney sweeps, barrel-makers, soap boilers, harvests, Austria, Poland and others.
Did you know ...
The first steam fire engine in the state of Minnesota
was an 1866 Silsby Rotary Engine of the First Class, #214?
It was dubbed "City of St. Paul", and was delivered to the St. Paul Fire Department on August 11, 1866, by its builder H.C. Silsby.
