Alabama Fire College

Chapter 1 Overview of the History and

Development of the American Fire Service

Alabama Fire College

Introduction• This chapter covers:

– Importance of the mission of the fire service– Purpose of a mission statement– How the history of the fire service influences

the modern day firefighter– Fire service changes from 1947 to early

twenty-first century

1.2

Alabama Fire College

The Mission of the Fire Service• Firefighter tasks are the same all over the world

– Save lives and property from fire and other emergencies

– Different fire departments have different approaches

• Mission synonymous with purpose for existence– Legal authority to act in a certain manner

• Mission statement– Written declaration describing things it intends to do

to protect citizenry or customers

• Every individual responsible for mission

1.3

Alabama Fire College

Roots in the Past• Factors common to all agencies

– Organizational structure– Inventory of facilities, apparatus, equipment,

methods– Programs to protect life and property

• Categories of programs– Fire and emergency operations and fire prevention– Arson investigation– Training– Emergency medical services– Communications and maintenance

1.4

Alabama Fire College

1.5

Understanding the history of the fire service is like climbing a ladder.

Alabama Fire College

The Fire Service of Today• Acceleration of change related to duties of

firefighter and agency staffing– Hazardous materials response– Search and rescue– Terrorism incidents

• 1947: National Conference on America’s Fire Problem (Harry Truman)

• Texas City Disaster: first catastrophic hazardous materials event in America

1.6

Alabama Fire College

The Fire Service ofToday (cont’d.)

• 1960s: Johnson Foundation “Wingspread Conference”

• 1970s: National Commission on Fire Protection and Control, America Burning– United States Fire Administration created– Incident command system (ICS) created

1.7

Alabama Fire College

The Fire Service ofToday (cont’d.)

• Twenty-first century: – 30,635 fire departments and 1,140,900

firefighters– Fire department in the U.S. responds to

one fire every 20 seconds– U.S. has fourth highest death rate among

industrial nations: one person dies every two hours in a fire

– The fire service plays a large role in EMS

1.8

Alabama Fire College

1.9

The fire service has expanded into many areas, including hazardous materials response.

Alabama Fire College

1.10

Firefighters are often called on to assist EMS crews with patient care.

Alabama Fire College

Lessons Learned

• Firefighter’s career is like climbing a ladder

• We must give due credit to the past

• Future contains difficult challenges and opportunities

• Firefighters must develop skills that did not exist previously

1.11