It is an Idaho state law to bill all people responsible for forest fires. Fred and Jeanne Howard have been billed $1,013,500.10 for a fire they started in July, 1992.
The 1991 Oakland Hills, CA, fire resulted in a $1.5 billion loss.
The 1992 Los Angeles, CA, riots and fires resulted in $567 million in property damages.
North America's first fire bell was cast in England in 1796.
BRK Electronics commands about 75% of the smoke detector market.
For 500 years, up until the 19th century, one person from every tenth house was required to serve a night fire watch in Moscow.
The "Vigiles" were groups formed by Augustus in 27 B.C. to watch for fires and crime.
A "Rattlewatch" was a combined fire and police patrol formed by the Dutch in New Amsterdam (NYC) in the 1600's.
The first automatic sprinklers were introduced in 1874.
Disney World, with an assessed valuation of two billion dollars, is fully equipped with automatic detection and suppression systems. Fire loss has averaged only $5,000 per year for the last fifteen years, with no fire-related injuries or deaths.
Windsor Castle, the main residence of the Queen of England, was heavily damaged in 1992 fire. Damage exceeded $90 million.
Fire Island, which is off the southern shore of Long Island in New York, got its name in the 17th century when the few inhabitants lit fires as false signals to lure unsuspecting ships onto shore.
The earliest known water pump was invented by Ctesibus of Alexandria about 200 B.C.
In the 16th century the German goldsmith Anton Platner constructed a manual fire pump similar to the one developed by Ctesibus.
Alasson Crane was awarded patent #37,610 in 1863 for developing the first fire extinguisher.
The first fire extinguisher using chemicals was manufactured by the Pyrene Manufacturing Company in 1905.
The first attempts at fire protection occurred about 400 B.C. and consisted of coatings of vinegar and clay applied to wood.
King Richard I, who reigned from 1189-1199, decreed that fire walls 16 feet high and 3 feet thick be erected between neighbors.
Maurice Ward, a former hairdresser turned inventor, has developed a plastic which withstood being zapped by lasers for temperatures of 10,000 degrees Celsius, yet the backside rose less than 25 degrees.
A firebreak is a strip of ploughed or cleared land meant to stop the spread of a prairie or forest fire.
When St. Petersburg was built, Peter I ordered all houses be built with fireproof roofs and that stoves be placed on fireproof bases.
Paul Keller was responsible for setting hundreds of fires in Seattle which caused more than 32 million dollars in damages in 1992. In 1993, he was sentenced to 75 years in prison.
In 1677, Dr. Nicholas Barton underwrote the first fire insurance policy in London.
The Great New York fire of 1835 wiped out 23 of the 26 NY insurance companies.
The first fire engine made in America was built in 1654 by Joseph Jencks, an iron-maker from Lynn, MA.
In 1829, the first steam-driven fire engine pump was constructed in London.
In 1841, Paul Hodge built the first steam-powered fire engine in America.
The oldest fire vehicle in the U.S. is a 1731 Newsham used for 154 years by the Volunteers of Manhattan.
The last horse-drawn fire engine in NYC was retired in 1922.
List prices on the "Invader Series" of fire trucks begin at $129,900 and include a 1250 gallon-per-minute fire pump.
In 1905, the National Board of Fire Underwriters published the first building code fittingly named the National Building code.
The NFPA 13D Code requires that a sprinkler head operate for 10 minutes and release 180 gallons of water after it is triggered.
In its America Burning report from 1973, the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control urged Congress to consider amending the Internal Revenue Code to permit reasonable deductions for the cost of installing approved detection and alarm systems. To date, the IRS has not acted on this recommendation.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed 18,000 homes.
The National Fire Protection Association published its first Fire Protection Handbook in 1986.
John Walker, an Englishman, developed the first friction match in 1827. it was ignited by drawing the head between layers of sandpaper. The first matches were called "lucifers".
In 1855, safety matches were invented in Sweden.
The sport of fire fighting originated in the former USSR.
Michigan was the first state to pass fireworks legislation prohibiting the use of fireworks by the general public.
In 1908, Cleveland became the first large city to ban the sale and possession of fireworks within the city limits.
In 1736, Ben Franklin co-founded the Union Fire Company in Philadelphia, the first fire department in that city.
Rollable fire-hose was invented by the Dutch engineer Jan van der Geide in 1672.
Fifty feet of 1 3/4 inch DURA-PAK fire hose weighs 14 pounds.
A common pumper (fire truck) can pump 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm).
The NYC Super Pumper can pump 8,000 gpm.
Your typical fireboat pumps 8,000 gpm, although some can do 22,000 gpm.
A WW II vintage Martin Mars air tanker can dump 6,000 gallons of water in a single pass.
The CL-215 by Canadair is the only aircraft specifically designed for fire fighting. The pilot can land on a lake or river, deploy proves, and fly off 12 seconds later with 1,600 gallons of water.
Fire departments are collectively referred to as "the fire service" in the U.S. There are over 15,000.
The Scotchlite Reflective Trim used by firefighters retains 100% of its original brightness at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
The sucking action created by large forest fires can be so strong that it can uproot large trees even before the flames reach them.
Ladders on fire engines were first introduced in the 18th century to help people escape from tall buildings.
The first aerial ladder fire truck was invented by San Francisco fireman David Hayes in 18968.
The first legislation requiring fire escapes for tenements occurred in New York State in 1860.
The American South has the highest fire death rate in the country.
The first paid firemen were in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1853. Members received $60 per year while captains received $150.
A forest fire fighter can earn as much as $200 a day.
The first career woman fire fighter was hired by the Arlington County (VA) fire Department in 1974. She became a Captain.
The New York City Fire Department has over 10,000 employees.
There are over 50,000 fire stations in the U.S.
There are over 74,000 pumper trucks and 6,600 aerial ladders in operation in the U.S.