History
In the US, some fire departments were
originally created by insurance companies to safeguard the
property of their policyholders. Those who bought policies were
given a plaque that would be mounted in a prominent position on
the structure to denote its protected status. Firemen summoned
to burning buildings were expected to look for these plaques
before fighting the fire.
A fire station is a building or other
area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus (i.e., fire
engines and related vehicles), personal protective equipment,
fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other firefighting equipment.
It may also have dormitory living facilities and work areas such
as meeting rooms, workshop, or laundry. Living areas are
sometimes arranged above the garage bays and firefighters may
have special means to allow entry to the ground floor quickly
when a call for help is received such as sliding down a brass
pole (called a firepole). This arrangement also allows for a
raised area to hang hoses to dry to prevent damage. In a one
floor station, a tower like structure is sometimes used
specially for hose hanging.
An occupied station will usually have a
station alarm system for receiving and annunciating an alarm,
and indications of where and what caused the alarm. However,
sometimes the only "alarm" is a telephone that is rung in case
of emergency. In a volunteer fire department, where volunteers
do not staff the station, the firefighters may be summoned to
the fire station by siren, radio or pagers, making a station
alarm system superfluous.
In a more sophisticated operation, full-time
or on-call firefighters attend the station some or all of the
time. There may be office space for the officers, a library of
reference and other materials, and a "trophy wall" or case where
the firefighters display memorabilia.
Activities in a fire station include regular
inspection and cleaning of the apparatus and equipment, and
continuing education in the fire service. Weekly or bi-weekly
routine typically includes various drills in which firefighters
practice their skills. Some fire companies also host public
activities at the fire station during annual "fire prevention
week" or similar, and the facility may also be used for
fund-raising by the "firemen's association", "fire buffs", or
"fire auxiliary."
The approaches to a fire station are often
posted with warning signs, and there may be a traffic signal to
stop or warn traffic when apparatus are leaving or returning to
the station.
In larger cities fire stations are often named
for the primary fire companies and apparatus housed there, such
as "Res5cue, Engine 160", or the district which they serve.
Rural fire stations are usually named for the county, town or
village, but may also be named for the independent fire district
serving a collective geographic area.
The Maltese Cross
When a courageous band of
crusaders, the Knights of St. John, fought the Saracens for
possession of the Holy Lands, they were faced with a new device
of war---FIRE.
As the crusaders advanced on
Jerusalem, the Saracens pelted them with glass bombs full of
naphtha and then threw down flaming torches. Hundreds of knights
were burned alive while others risked their lives to save their
kinsmen from painful fiery deaths. Thus these became the first
firefighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by fellow
crusaders who awarded them with the badge of honor similar to
the cross firefighters wear today.
Since the Knights of St. John
lived nearly four centuries on the island of Malta, in the
Mediterranean Sea, the cross came to be known as the Maltese
Cross. The firefighter who wears this cross is willing to lay
down his life for others, just as the crusaders sacrificed their
lives for their fellow man so many years ago.
