Research So Far (10/21/2016)

The beginning phase of my report has been going back and researching the history of firefighting in the United States.  I learned the first recorded fire on U.S. soil was in May 1608 at the Jamestown settlement when their storehouse burned to the ground, taking much needed winter supplies with it.  Back in those days, citizens were only able to use buckets of water to combat the flames.  Most of the time, they were unable to save the burning building and had to turn their attention to the surrounding buildings and keep them from catching fire as well. 

As time progressed, it became mandatory in many towns that people have buckets set aside for the sole purpose of fighting fires.  Whenever a fire was spotted, the cry "Throw out your buckets!" would go out and everyone who was physically able to would go form a line from the nearest water source to the fire.  These were called "fire lines" and were made to help get water to the scene as quick as possible.  The men would fill the buckets and pass them forward, while the women would pass the empty buckets back.  While primitive, it was effective in many cases and set the precedent for future firefighting operations. 


An example of a bucket that would be used in a Fire Line


An example of a "fire line" or "bucket brigade"