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Fire Department

Fire Fighter Apparel

by Will Baum

Fire fighter apparel is a simple way of saying thanks to the men and women who risk their lives to keep our cities and towns from going up in smoke. Think of it: Fire fighters rush into burning buildings. When was the last time you faced real danger? What was your first instinct? Most likely, your instinct was to turn on your heels and get away fast. Fire fighters stifle that natural instinct for the good of the community and nation. Fire fighter apparel hardly begins to say thank you enough.

History and Fire Fighter Apparel

If you're going to wear an FDNY T-shirt or some other type of fire fighter apparel, you may want to know a thing or two about how fire departments got started in this country. The first organized fire response was put together in New Amsterdam (now New York City). It was the mid-17th century. Wooden houses containing open fireplaces went up in flames regularly and the fires spread with devastating consequences.

Volunteer fire departments were formed, and by the mid-19th century, were trusted and effective forces. But volunteer departments resisted the steam engine, new technology that those outside the department knew could help improve fire response. Slowly, the transition began to professional fire fighting. At first there were fights between rival companies, and between volunteers and professionals.

The first paid department cropped up in Cincinnati in 1853. New York and Philadelphia followed in 1865 and 1871. Many of the first paid fire fighters were former volunteers. Devastating fires still tore through cities. Chicago had its most famous blaze in 1871. Boston's was the next year in 1872. It was years before a combination of regulations, technology, and training brought fire departments nationwide up to the standards we know today.

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