It’s interesting to hear people speak of the history of the fire service. In many cases, Benjamin Franklin is credited as the first firefighter. Nothing could be further from the truth and recorded fact.

Yes, Franklin was involved deeply with the fire companies that protected the city of Philadelphia—but as an organizer and planner, always sharing his talents for the good of all. He never held a nozzle nor worked the brakes of the early hand-tubs. His mastery in bringing people together, so that a working organization resulted, was his greatest contribution to the overall success of early American fire departments.

Who was the first firefighter? The answer to that question is lost to history.

People have dealt with fire ever since the beginning of creation. Fire is both friend and foe to the human race. With centuries having passed, we still can’t tame this beast. By looking back in time, we can find out a little about our roots and how we came to be.

Hail, Caesar!

Before the Roman Empire achieved its status in the world, other cities and communities suffered from fires. In many cases, it was accepted that nothing could be done to stop a fire. Early thinking believed that it was fate, bad luck or the wrath of displeased gods that was the cause.

Fires, particularly those that grew rapidly to large scale, weren’t dealt with. Some efforts were made to approach a basic level of firefighting, but nothing was very successful for the early societies of the world. Everyone just tried to get out of the way of the flames.

As the Roman Empire progressed, developed and grew, even the Eternal City, Rome, suffered numerous tragic fires as a part of its daily life. Much of everything was made of wood, and open flames were everywhere. The invitation to a fire starting was omnipresent. 

Finally, Augustus Caesar came to office. A very public service-driven leader, he also was a good budget manager, and he knew that fires directly contributed to the loss of taxes and commerce in Rome. He was determined to find a solution to stop the onslaught of the daily ravages of fires. He turned to the engineering division of the Roman army for help.

Augustus called a council of his best generals in the engineering corps and charged them with the development of a firefighting unit. Soon, the Vigiles was formed from the rank and file of the Roman soldiers. (The word “vigiles” means watchful.)

The Roman army leadership left no stone unturned. They assembled many professional soldiers who had talents and courage to serve as firefighters. Many had good skills in designing and making equipment. Other skilled military personnel were given an array of various tasks to accomplish for the Vigiles to become a rock solid professional unit that would protect Rome and its citizens.

These soldier/firefighters soon became an elite part of the Roman army. The bar was set high. One had to serve as a soldier for three years, with a perfect record, before applying for the Vigiles. The prestigious position held dedication, honor and respect.

Human fire alarm box

One also must understand that early Rome was still a very pagan society, and pagan beliefs contributed to the occurrence of everyday fires. Roman law mandated that every household have and maintain an altar that was dedicated to a favored Roman god and have a candle or incense on a decorated mantel or piece of furniture burning constantly.

Thus, anything could happen when this altar wasn’t watched, and the end result often was a fire.

Eventually, the position of nocturne, or watchman, was established. The nocturne was basically a human fire alarm box on a street corner. The nocturnes patrolled the streets at night, being on the lookout for fires, and the concept worked very well. A small growing fire could be discovered quickly, and the early fire alarm would be raised.

If a nocturne spotted a fire, he immediately shouted down the street to the next nocturne, so that soldier could shout to the next. That method continued until the alarm reached the Castra (fire station). This action then resulted with the main body of firefighters starting for the emergency scene, bringing their equipment with them to suppress the outbreak of fire.

Eventually the nocturnes were given small oil lamps for the night and as a weapon for protection. As Rome grew, its criminal element also grew. The Vigiles was assigned small, dagger-style weapons for defense and to subdue street criminals if required. The nocturne now had to also become the street corner cop. Soon, it was determined that he couldn’t keep a fire watch if he did police duties. Thus, another professional position came into being for Rome: police officer. Yes, firefighters were first.

Roots of procedures, operational guidance and tools

All in all, if one digs deep into the history of the Roman army fire brigade, you’ll find that its procedures and operational guidance still are with us today. The structure of a modern fire department follows the outlines and guidance from the Vigiles. Even the design of the Vigiles’ tools has changed very little in our present-day arsenal of firefighting equipment. Give a close second look at our axes and pike poles. They are perfect examples of practical and battle-tested fireground tools that were birthed in the Roman army fire brigade.

Let us be grateful to those who came before us. They created the foundation of our profession. It now is up to us to hold the standard high and to be proud of the honorable title of firefighter.