It was another misty wet day so a visit to the Museum of Edinburgh in Canongate was an alternative to the planned excursion.  A display there commemorates the 200th anniversary of the formation of the first municipal fire brigade in the world.  Until then there were no fire brigades and some of the wealthier took out an insurance that if their house was on fire the company would pay to repair any damage. Individual insurance companies formed their own companies to tackle fires in properties insured by them with Insurance plaques given to policy holders to display on the wall.  The Caledonian Insurance Company was one of the first in Scotland founded in 1805 and the Guardian Fire and Life Insurance Company was founded in 1821 and soon became a large national insurer.   

The little figure represents an insurance firefighter wearing typical uniform until improvements were made in 1824 when the Edinburgh Fire Establishment was formed under James Braidwood.  Until then the firefighters often had no training and very little equipment or suitable clothing.  A toughened leather bucket would be passed along the line to put out a fire.

Within a month of the new fire brigade being formed The Great Fire of Edinburgh started on 15 November 1824 destroying much of the area around the High Street stopping near St Giles.  It lasted for five days and was one of the most destructive fires in the history of Edinburgh destroying many homes and making almost 500 families homeless.  Had it not been for Braidwood’s ideas and leadership the destruction would have been much worse.

Now the firefighting service has been renamed to the “Fire and Rescue Service” because it deals not only with fires but also to rescuing from floods, dangerous situations, traffic accidents and oil spills to name a few.  Fire can provide light and warmth but can also be very dangerous.

Thanks to Freespiral's challenge of “Fire” this week.