Firefighting throughout the ages

Firefighting has come a long way since buckets of water were passed down the line from one courageous volunteer to the next. We now have access to a wide range of technologically-advanced systems – such as TransPro Systems’ fire safety solutions for detecting, preventing, controlling the spread of fire.

But just how much has changed?

Firefighting in the past

The earliest record of organised firefighting goes back as far as Ancient Rome. People used ‘cutting-edge’ (for 2,500 years ago) equipment including buckets, pumps, hooks, pick-axes, ladders and ropes to extinguish a fire. Early fire departments also relied on firefighters actively patrolling the streets to watch out for fires; the time taken to respond is crucial for firefighting and, without the benefits afforded by modern means of communication, fires would quickly get out of control to devastating effect.

The 17th century bore witness to a key breakthrough in the form of mobile firefighting units – the very first fire engines. These were very different to the fire engines we recognise today, consisting of manual pumps mounted on drawn carts. These manual pumps were later developed to have flexible hoses which increased their range – a simple solution but a vast improvement in safety.

As for fire detection and warning alarms, they too have developed much since relying on people ringing bells. The invention of automatic smoke alarms is one of our most important fire safety innovations, affording crucial time to react to fire emergencies and lessening the requirement for human vigilance.

When first developed, automatic smoke detection was used solely for the protection of high value assets – now there are smoke alarms in almost every building in the Emirate.

Firefighting in the present

Today, preventing fires is as necessary as detecting and extinguishing them. Due to the hot, dry climate in the UAE, it is especially important to have the very best fire protection systems in place in order to protect yourself, your family, your property and any occupants. Trans Pro Systems take pride in providing rigorously-tested, state-of-the-art fire safety solutions. You can find out more about active fire protection in our blog post on Active Fire Protection.

Firefighting in the future

As technology advances further still, we are constantly striving to improve our firefighting methods. Innovations such as water jetpacks can be seen, used by firefighters in Dubai, as a way of avoiding traffic and firefighting robots may seem like science fiction but they’re very much a matter of fact – read our blog post on firefighting robots to find out more.

TransPro Systems is constantly testing solutions to remain at the cutting edge of fire safety protection. Talk to our experts to make sure that you have the safest fire protection systems that we have to offer.