Crucible of Fire

by Hensler, Bruce

• ISBN13: 9781597976848
• ISBN10: 1597976849
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-06-01
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

Urban conflagrations, such as the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 and the Great Boston Fire of 1872, terrorized the citizens of nineteenth-century American cities, although rebirth in the aftermath offered a chance to shape the future.Ultimately, urban dwellers and planners created sweeping changes in the methods of constructing buildings, planning city streets, engineering water distribution systems, underwriting fire insurance, and firefighting itself.The practical knowledge gained from fighting nineteenth-century fires gave form and function to modern fire protection efforts.Changes in materials and building design resulted directly from tragedies such as fires in fireproof hotels. Thousands of buildings burned,millions of dollars were lost, the fire insurance industry faltered, and a tradition of volunteerism died out before municipal authorities accepted the necessary changes.The great fires formed a crucible of learning for firefighters, engineers, architects, and underwriters. Bruce Hensler shows how the modern American fire service today is a direct result of the lessons of history.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vi
Abbreviations	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
The Context of the Modern Fire Service	p. 11
Origins of Organized Fire Service	p. 13
Firefighter Culture	p. 24
Contemporary Firefighting	p. 36
The Fire Problem Defined	p. 45
Great Fire in Pittsburgh	p. 47
Fire in the Built Environment	p. 54
Fire and Human Behavior	p. 57
Fire in Rural Areas and Wildlands	p. 63
The Fire Service under Fire	p. 69
Transformative Forces to Make Firefighting Safer	p. 71
Cultural Change Needed to Improve Firefighter Safety	p. 78
Transitional Forces Create New Fire Service Model	p. 86
Learning to Fight Great Urban Fires	p. 99
London and the Development of a Fire Service	p. 101
Portland and the Board of Fire Underwriters	p. 110
Boston and the Standardization of Fire Protection	p. 117
Learning to Control Building Fires	p. 135
Fire Protection in Theory	p. 137
Deadly Fire in a Fireproof Hotel	p. 144
Firefighting, Building Codes, and Technology	p. 152
Firefighters, Engineers, and Underwriters	p. 161
New England Mills and the Factory Mutual System	p. 163
Fighting Fires: From Art to Science	p. 172
Volunteers to Paid Firemen	p. 179
Legacy of the Combustible City	p. 185
Notes	p. 199
Bibliography	p. 212
Index	p. 221
About the Author	p. 231
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