Fire Department
An ounce of prevention ... a pound of cure
19th c. image of Franklin as firefighter.
On a visit to Boston, Benjamin Franklin noted that the inhabitants of
his native city were far better prepared to fight fires than the natives
of his adopted city, Philadelphia. Upon returning home, he consulted
the Junto, a benevolent group dedicated to civic and self-improvement,
and asked for their suggestions on better ways to combat fires.
Franklin also sought to raise public awareness about the city's dire
need to improve fire-fighting techniques. In a Pennsylvania Gazette
article of 1733 Franklin noted how fires were being fought in
Philadelphia. "Soon after it [a fire] is seen and cry'd out, the Place
is crowded by active Men of different Ages, Professions and Titles who,
as of one Mind and Rank, apply themselves with all Vigilance and
Resolution, according to their Abilities, to the hard Work of conquering
the increasing fire."
Fire company emblems.
Goodwill
and amateur firefighters were not enough, though. Franklin suggested a
"Club or Society of active Men belonging to each Fire Engine; whose
Business is to attend all Fires with it whenever they happen."
For the February 4, 1735 issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin
sent an anonymous letter to his own newspaper entitled Protection of
Towns from Fire. Writing as an "old citizen" he admonished:
In the first Place, as an Ounce of Prevention is worth a
Pound of Cure, I would advise 'em to take care how they suffer living
Coals in a full Shovel, to be carried out of one Room into another, or
up or down Stairs, unless in a Warmingpan shut; for Scraps of Fire may
fall into Chinks and make no Appearance until Midnight; when your Stairs
being in Flames, you may be forced, (as I once was) to leap out of your
Windows, and hazard your Necks to avoid being oven-roasted.
He further urged that chimney sweeps should be licensed by the city
and be held responsible for their work. He noted that a neighboring city
(Boston), "a club or society of active men belonging to each fie
engine, whose business is to attend all fires with it whenever they
happen." He noted that via practice and regular meetings, the
firefighters' skills improved.
Leather bucket used to fight fires.
Under
Franklin's goading, a group of thirty men came together to form the
Union Fire Company on December 7, 1736. Their equipment included
"leather buckets, with strong bags and baskets (for packing and
transporting goods), which were to be brought to every fire. The blaze
battlers met monthly to talk about fire prevention and fire-fighting
methods. Homeowners were mandated to have leather fire-fighting buckets
in their houses.
Other men were desirous of joining the Union, but were urged to form their own companies so the city would be better protected.
Within a short span of time, Philadelphians witnessed the birth of
the Heart-in-Hand, the Britannia, the Fellowship, as well as several
other fire companies.
Thanks to the matchless leadership of Benjamin Franklin, the dire
fear of fires expired in Philadelphia which became one of safest city's
in the world in terms of fire damage.
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