Youth Groups: Youth Fire Brigades


Figure 1.--Here we see the Midland Junior Firemen from Midland, Maryland in 1977. The boys did not have uniforms, but wore white "T"-shirts and dark pants.

We have noted youth auxileries to fire departments in a few countries. So far we have mostly noted this in America and Germany. Many rural areas can not afford a professional fire deparment like the ones in built-up areas and cities. Thus they organized volunteer fire services. Many of the volunteer services had junior auxilieries. They had a variety of names such as Junior Firemen. The youth auxileries did not normally have uniforms. Professional city fire departments do not normally have these youth auxileries, although I am less sure about earlier historical periods. We also note youth fire department auxileries in Germany. Here we note quite a few groups in the ealy 20th century and this activity has cntinued into the modern era. These groups had often quite elaboate uniforms. There are probaly other countries involved, but our informtion is still very limited.

America

Many Colonial towns consisted mostly of wooden buildings. Thus fire was an ever present danger. Boston like other colonial towns had been devestated by fire. Boston had devestating fires in 1653 and 1676. The city after the fire of 1676 purchased a London pumper. Thomas Atkins and 12 other men were hired as fire fighters becoming the first real firefighters in the United States. To suport this small force, citizens in variouus neigborhoods formed Mutual Fire Societies. These became not only auxiliers ro the professional fire fighters, but important fraternal social organizations. A historian notes, “The Mutual Fire Societies became social as well as protective associations, setting a pattern for organized volunteer firefighting groups, which would one day be the backbone of firefighting in America and would dominate it for a century and a half.” [Smith] Benjamin Franklin when he came to Philadelphia from Boston was familiar with measures Boston had taken. Philadelphia experienced a severe fire in 1730 and again in 1736. Franklin helped found the first volunteer fire brigade in Philadelphia. It began operating in 1736. From the very beginning boys showed an interest in fire pumpers and even more so when they got larger and louder in the 19th century. I think that boys associations with fire companies was largely informal, especially as cities began organizing full time professional fire departments. I not sure to what extent youth auxilieries were organized as was rhe case in Germany. Many rural areas can not afford a professional fire deparment like the ones in built-up areas and cities. Thus they organized volunteer fire services. Many of the volunteer services had junior auxilieries. They had a variety of names such as Junior Firemen. The youth auxileries did not normally have uniforms. Professional city fire departments do not normally have these youth auxileries, although I am less sure about earlier historical periods.

Germany

We also note youth fire department auxileries in Germany. Here we note quite a few groups in the ealy 20th century and this activity has cntinued into the modern era. These groups had often quite elaboate uniforms. There are probaly other countries involved, but our informtion is still very limited. The members included youths and teenagers. We have also noted quite young boys in fire brigade uniforms. This seems to have been the junior division of these brigades. A German reader tells us, "It is common that the voluntarien fire brigades of villages/towns have a youth group (not the professional fire brigades in the big towns and community centres." Many of these groups are very elabirately uniformed. Our German reader tells us, "Such a youth group participates in official ceremonies of voluntarian fire brigades in community events, e.g., annual celebration and the like. It has no relation to military organisations." I am not sure when these youth auxileries were first formed, bu we notice them in the early 20th century. We note these groups into the 1950s. We are not sure if they still exist.

Sources

Smith, Dennis. History of Firefighting in America: 300 years (New York: Dial, 1978).






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Created: 2:54 AM 7/28/2005
Last updated: 4:23 AM 8/26/2005