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    New London Firefighting
    New London Firefighting
    New London Firefighting
    Ebook159 pages30 minutes

    New London Firefighting

    By Tara Samul

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    About this ebook

    The New London Fire Department was born in 1767 when Nathaniel Shaw Jr. presented the city with its first fire engine. Since then, New London has had a successful history of emergency medical service, heroic assistance during natural disasters, and fantastic 0firefighting. The city's most notorious fire occurred on September 6, 1781. Under the command of the infamous traitor and New London County native, Gen. Benedict Arnold, British troops set New London ablaze. A great deal of life and property was lost. At a 1786 town meeting, residents began the first regular fire company, which eventually evolved into eight volunteer companies. New London Firefighting proudly chronicles its initial humble volunteer system up to today's technologically advanced apparatus and career personnel.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439633892
    New London Firefighting
    Author

    Tara Samul

    Tara Samul compiled this photographic history from the extensive collections of the New London Fire Department and private collectors. Samul is a reference librarian and the daughter-in-law of Chief Ronald Samul. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Dr. Carl Wies Scholarship Trust.

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      New London Firefighting - Tara Samul

      Trust.

      INTRODUCTION

      The city of New London has a long and rich history beginning in 1646 when the first settlers arrived. Today the city is a thriving municipality that provides all city functions from career police, fire and emergency medical services, education, and public works services to municipal water and sewer systems. Each and every one of these municipal services contributes to the success of the city of New London. This book will focus on the evolution of one of those departments, the New London Fire Department, and its humble beginnings in 1767 to the present.

      The New London Fire Department’s first chronicled history begins in 1767, when Nathaniel Shaw Jr. presented the city with its first fire engine. At that time, the technology involved a tub of water on wheels with a hand pump and suction pipes. However, this fire engine was an important asset to the city, as demonstrated in 1781, when the British, led by Benedict Arnold, burned New London, including the building that normally housed the fire engine. Fortunately, local patriots took the risk and saved the fire engine by hiding it in the woods until the British had left New London.

      In 1786, the first regular fire company was established when Ebenezer Douglas was appointed captain with authority to enlist 12 men. The alderman and mayor provided the funds to build a dedicated building to hold the first company, known as the George Washington’s. These men were the founding fathers of what is now known as the City of New London Fire Department.

      By 1849, four companies existed. For the next 50 years, companies were disbanded and reorganized. By 1900, six companies were formed with two new companies being added in 1906 and 1909.

      In the early 20th century, numerous changes to the fire department began to form a modern and dynamic organization that has evolved into the New London Fire Department as we know it today.

      In 1903, an American LaFrance steam-propelled chemical and hose wagon was purchased for $5,500. This unit was claimed to be the first self-propelled fire engine in the United States. Affectionately called Old Maud, the unit proved to be slow and unreliable but remains as a major step in the evolution of the New London Fire Department.

      In 1908, the fire chief’s position became a permanent appointment, and a fire marshal was appointed in 1912. During the 1920s, paid drivers were appointed, badges were introduced, and fire apparatus were motor driven with mechanical water pumps, utilizing the municipal water supply and the fire hydrants located throughout the city.

      The members of the New London Fire Department experienced one of their most demanding, dangerous, and historic calls to service in 1938. Most New Englanders are familiar with some portion of the great hurricane of 1938 and the destruction it caused throughout New England and within New London. New London firefighters fought a conflagration on Bank Street, which extended from south of Sparyard Street and north to Golden Street. During the height of that destructive hurricane, New London firefighters battled the conflagration in chest-deep water for many hours. Many buildings were destroyed, including a fire station, but the fire was ultimately stopped and extinguished, saving many more buildings in the fire’s path.

      While the appearance of the current fire department has evolved from the 1940s to today’s diesel-powered vehicles that can pump over 1,000 gallons of water per minute, specialized hydraulic-powered rescue tools, fire-resistant personal protective clothing, and self-contained breathing apparatus, the New London Fire Department’s main asset, the individual firefighters, retain the same high standards of professionalism and dedication to service as those citizens who founded the same department 240 years ago. These individual firefighters answer the call for the same reasons for which all fire departments are founded: the protection of life, to stabilize and eliminate emergency conditions, and the conservation of property. All modern fire department emergency responses continue to be based on these three objectives.

      As the current fire chief of the New London Fire Department, I am

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