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 Hook-and-Ladder |
 Fire Engine Long John #1 |
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 Fire Engine Fred Gund |
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 Fire Engine R.A. Williams |
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| The Chicago Fire Department (Report of the Board of Police in the Fire Department, 1871-72) |
 The Eve of Destruction |
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| Chicago's first major fire destroyed eighteen buildings in 1839, but it was the fire of 1857, which killed twenty-two people, that prompted the Common Council to authorize a professional force, which took over the work of volunteers the following year. This change was part of a broader trend in American cities during this period. By the time of the fire, the department, which was under the direction of the Board of Police, was dangerously understaffed. Its gear, some of which is pictured here, was up-to-date but seriously insufficient. There were 185 firefighters for this city of over 330,000 people, who worked in seventeen steam fire engine companies, six hose companies, four hook-and-ladder companies, and two hose elevator companies. | |||
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