Spalding Gentlemen’s Society looks at the history of the fire service
FIRE! FIRE! It’s the alarm call every householder dreads. Fortunately we can expect the fire service to rush to our aid, saving lives and reducing damage to property.
But time was that there were no firefighters and, in the unlucky event of a house fire, you and your family and neighbours were left to your own devices to do what you could, writes the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society in this month’s What’s The Story? column…
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, fire fighting became a little more organised. But a panicked shout of FIRE! FIRE! would still only bring help to your door if you had paid your fire insurance.
The first insurance company was formed the year after London’s great catastrophe and property was protected in this way until the 1800s. Those who could afford to pay for insurance against fire were given a mark to prominently display on their building. But things were still a little dicey.
If the fire fighters arrived and found your mark not to be the one from the company they represented, the fires could be left unchecked until the right fire fighters turned up. If you didn’t have one at all…
Spalding Gentlemen’s Society has quite a collection of fire insurance company marks, or plaques, some quite ornate with the emblem of the particular insurance company. It also has an early fireman’s helmet, a hand-wound fire alarm and photographs of early local fire-fighting teams.
Eventually many of the fire offices merged and the first organised municipal fire brigade in the world was established in Edinburgh in 1824. This followed the not-so-well-known Great Fire of Edinburgh. The London Fire Engine Establishment followed in 1833. Other areas of Britain had either volunteer fire brigades or town fire brigades.
Up to 1938 there were around 1,500 municipal fire brigades run by local councils. Then the Auxiliary Fire Service was founded, shortly superseded by the National Fire Service.
Holland Fire Brigade became Lincolnshire Fire Service in the 1974 local government reorganisation along with Kesteven County Fire Brigade, City of Lincoln Fire Brigade and Lindsey County Fire Brigade and the modern fire service we have today, with a slight name change to Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, was born.
A far cry from fighting the flames with buckets of water from the village pond and then horse-drawn hand-pumped water squirts and steam-powered pressure hoses.
The society’s museum is now closed for building works, but a changing display of exhibits is being maintained at Ayscoughfee Hall, Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4pm. Admission is free.
