This second collection of historic firefighting images covers 1940 through 1990, five formative decades for fire protection in North Carolina's capital county. During this period, the Raleigh Fire Department quadrupled in size, smaller municipal fire departments modernized, and rural fire departments formed to protect outlying areas. As populations increased and technology advanced, 20th century firefighters found their duties evolving from simple "smoke eating" to include emergency medical services, rescue and extrication, and hazardous-materials training. Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting, Volume II, depicts fires, fire equipment, and firefighters in over 200 images culled from newspapers, archives, and personal collections. Included in this second volume are rare, early photographs of the Six Forks Road, Western Boulevard, and Wake Forest #2 fire departments.

Urban conflagrations, such as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the Great Boston Fire the following year, terrorized the citizens of nineteenth-century American cities. However, urban rebirth in the aftermath of great fires offered a chance to shape the future. Ultimately residents and planners created sweeping changes in the methods of constructing buildings, planning city streets, engineering water distribution systems, underwriting fire insurance, and firefighting itself. Crucible of Fire describes how the practical knowledge gained from fighting nineteenth-century fires gave form and function to modern fire protection efforts. Changes in materials and building design resulted directly from tragedies such as fires in supposedly fireproof hotels. Thousands of buildings burned, millions of dollars were lost, the fire insurance industry faltered, and the nature of volunteerism changed radically before municipal authorities took the necessary actions. The great fires formed a crucible of learning for firefighters, engineers, architects, underwriters, and citizens. Veteran firefighter Bruce Hensler shows how the modern American fire service today is a direct result of the lessons of history and a rethinking of the efficacy of volunteerism in fighting fires. Crucible of Fire is an eye-opening look at today's fire service and a thorough examination of what firefighters, civic leaders, and ordinary citizens can do to protect their homes and communities from the mistakes of the past.

From the founding of its first fire department in Provincetown in 1836, Cape Cod has had an exciting and unique firefighting history-as told in Cape Cod Firefighting. Rare and recently discovered photographs depict some of the area's largest fires, as well as its many innovations, from Provincetown's first Hunneman hand pumper, known as the "George Washington," to the brush breakers uniquely designed to respond to the Cape's devastating forest fires. Cape Cod fire departments also developed rescue squads that eventually evolved into the first emergency medical service system in Massachusetts to use paramedics. The images in Cape Cod Firefighting offer a tribute to the people and events that have shaped Cape Cod's fire rescue service.

Written to specifically prepare the municipal firefighter for responses to a wide range of industrial fires, this book is ideal for municipal firefighters at any stage of their career, as well as for personnel at industrial facilities who operate or coordinate response with municipal fire departments.

Tracing its roots to 1796, the Bridgeport Fire Department protects Connecticut's largest city. Bridgeport's first step toward independence occured when the Corporation of Newfield was formed in 1797 for the express purpose of forming a fire company. Through the years, the firefighters have continued to play a significant role in Bridgeport's history. Bridgeport's fire department has grown, changed, and shared in its city's triumphs, and tragedies. The purchase of the steam-powered D.H. Sterling fire engine triggered an oftentimes bitter contest between adherents of the traditional muscle-powered fire engine and new mechanical machines. The contest resulted in the formation of the present career fire department in 1872. Bridgeport Firefighters traces the innovations, incidents, and personalities through the hand-drawn, horse-drawn, and motor-driven eras up to the twentieth century.