Crucible of Fire: Nineteenth Century Urban Fires and the Making of the Modern Fire Service
Our long-term survival and development of society depended on the control of fire. Mastery of fire required knowledge and the development of accepted practices for control. City-dwellers grew dependent on fire for their survival; they had to learn to control it. Humans learned to follow fire control practices every day to ensure preservation of the means of survival, whether in a primitive or industrial society. Failure to follow the rules carried a high price, even death.
Urban conflagrations terrorized the citizens of nineteenth-century American cities. Rebirth in the aftermath of fire offered a chance to shape the future. Sometimes they got it right and other times, they repeated earlier mistakes. The fires set people and organizations into motion with the common goal of learning how to control and prevent urban fires. Ultimately, our urban landscape witnessed change in the methods of constructing buildings, planning of city streets, engineering of water distribution systems, underwriting of fire insurance, and firefighting itself. The practical knowledge gained from fighting nineteenth-century fires gave form and function to modern fire protection efforts.
The fires formed a crucible of learning for firefighters, engineers, architects, and underwriters. This blog and the book Crucible of Fire provide a veteran firefighter’s perspective into the context from which modern firefighting developed. My intent is to help readers understand the modern fire service through the lens of history.
Published June 2011 by Potomac Books.
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Reviews and Endorsements for Crucible of Fire...
"I love this book. Crucible of Fire tells in just one well-written volume everything about the history of firefighting that until now would have required reading a hundred volumes. It also explains the necessity of reforming the mission of fire departments, while it successfully argues why the traditional bravado of interior firefighting should be reconsidered. Written by an experienced firefighter, this important book is destined to become a standard reference guide for anyone interested in the art and science of firefighting and in the profession of running a fire department. Any fire chief who does not read this book ought to think about hanging up the chief’s helmet.”
-- Dennis Smith, author of Report from Ground Zero and founder of Firehouse magazine
"In crisp, clear prose that is accessible to the layperson as well as the seasoned firefighting pro or buff, Bruce Hensler looks at the long history of American firefighters, celebrating their achievements while making cool, level-headed judgments about what would make their job safer. I was struck both by Hensler’s passion for the culture and tradition of firefighting and his honesty in dissecting how that culture sometimes can be counterproductive. The average citizen will learn a great deal about the mechanics of firefighting from Hensler’s descriptions, while professionals may be challenged by his blunt conclusions and prescriptions for the future."
-- Stephanie Schorow, author of Boston on Fire and The Cocoanut Grove Fire and editor of Boston’s Fire Trail: A Walk through the City’s Fire and Firefighting History
