We know that relating to extinguishing fires by one of the first known paid fire fighters were in ancient Rome . Their fire department consisting by the 1st century had approximately 7,000 paid firefighters. These fire brigades not only responded to and fought fires, but also patrolled the streets with the authority to impose corporal punishment upon those who violated fire-prevention codes. The inventor Ctesibius of Alexandria devised the first known fire pump c.200 B.C. but the idea was lost until the fire pump was reinvented about A.D. 1500. The only equipment available to fight the London fire in 1666 were two-quart hand syringes and a similar, slightly larger syringe; it burned for four days. Elsewhere in Europe and in the American colonies fire fighting equipment was equally rudimentary? The London fire stimulated the development of a two-person operated piston pump on wheels.

In  about 1648, Governor Peter Stuyvesant of New Amsterdam ( New York City) was the first in the New World to appoint fire inspectors with the authority to impose fines for fire code violations. Boston imported (1679) the first fire engine to reach America . For a long time the ten-person pump devised by the English inventor Richard Newsham in 1725 was the most widely used. The inventor Thomas Late of New York built (1743) the first fire engine made in America . About 1672 leather hose and couplings for joining lengths together were produced; though leather hose had to be sewn like a fine boot, fabric and rubber-treated hose did not come into general use until 1870. A steam fire engine was built in London in 1829, but the volunteer fire companies of the day were very slow to accept it. When a group of insurance companies in New York had a self-propelled engine built in 1841, the firefighters so hindered its use that the insurance companies gave up the project. Finally, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the public forced a steam engine on the firefighters.

The aerial ladder wagon appeared in 1870; the hose elevator, about 1871. Gasoline engines were at first used either as pumping engines or as tractors to pull apparatus. In 1910 the two functions were combined, one engine both propelling the truck and driving the pump. Modern equipment is usually diesel powered, and multiple variations of the basic fire engine enable firefighters to respond to many types of emergency situations.

One first fire extinguisher in the modern area.

The first version of the modern fire extinguisher was invented in the England by Captain George Manby about1816, consisting of a copper vessel of 3 gallon (13.6 litters) of pearl ash potassium carbonate solution under compressed air.

First Patented Fire Extinguisher

According to the Minorities' Job Bank's, inventor Thomas J. Martin, patented the fire extinguisher on March 26, 1872. Dr. Percy Julian, another prominent African-American, invented the aero-foam extinguisher (for use against gas and oil fires) during World War II.

More History

The late 1800s saw the invention of the Soda-Acid extinguisher where a cylinder contained 1 or 2 gallons of water that had sodium bicarbonate mixed in it. Suspended in the cylinder was a phial containing concentrated sulfuric acid. Activating the extinguisher by striking a plunger to break the phial, or inverting the extinguisher to release a lead bung from the phial (depending on type), released the acid which mixed with the bicarbonate solution to generate carbon dioxide gas that expelled the water under pressure through a nozzle or short length of hose.

Around 1912 Pyrene pioneered the carbon tetrachloride or CTC extinguisher, where the liquid was expelled from a brass, glass, brass container by hand pump or pressurized, usually of 1 quart or 1 pint. Capacity (but also made in up to 2 gallon size), onto a fire. The CTC vaporized and extinguished the flames by chemical reaction. This extinguisher was suitable for liquid and electrical fires and was popular in motor vehicles for the next 60 years. The vapor and combustion by-products were highly toxic and deaths did occur from using these extinguishers in confined spaces.

The Development the of the United State Coast Guard extinguisher Requirements.

The First policy requirment  by the USCG for fire extinguishers in united states water to limited the number of death in boating accidents. The next milestone occurred in 1939 when the volunteer organization, known today as the Coast Guard Auxiliary, was created. The Auxiliary, working side by side with the active Coast Guard, has significantly contributed to solving the enforcement problem. The 1940 Motorboat Act improved safety standards. Meanwhile, advances in technology have required the updates in the laws with major changes in 1958 and 1971. The Coast Guard’s philosophy toward boating safety has been to educate the public rather than carry out punitive measures. Despite the ever-increasing number of pleasure boats in US waters, this policy has limited the number of deaths in boating accidents.

For more information see go to the USCG history page  USCG history page  

The Motorboat Act of 1910 finally established a creditable boating safety program. The act required boats to be equipped with navigation lights, whistles,  fire extinguishers, and life preservers. Although enforcement was still a problem, the number of accidents immediately declined.

Historical Extinguisher Photos

To see photo of History of  Old fire Extinguisher Photos.

This extinguisher was especially made to de placed in VIP areas or for spcial occasions, believed to be dated 1902-1903 .   Minimax Luxe edition copper.