The world’s first municipal fire service (public, and government-funded) was founded in 1824 in Edinburgh, under the leadership of James Braidwood. Before the establishment of the service, firefighting was often privatized and buildings that were uninsured, or insured by the “wrong” company, would often be left to burn. Among the innovations developed by the Edinburgh service were Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and military-style training that ensured firefighters were in top shape physically and mentally to deal with fires as a team. Given the country’s history with fire, including the Great…
