The first full-length scholarly history of the British fire service, 1800-1978, this book scrutinizes how firemen created a professional public service incumbent upon municipal government. It examines the influence of major fires and leading personalities within the fire service in constructing a professional ethos for municipal fire brigades.

Autorentext
SHANE EWEN is Senior Lecturer in Social and Cultural History at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. He is joint editor, with Pierre-Yves Saunier, of Another Global City: Historical Explorations into the Transnational Municipal Moment, 1850-2000.

Inhalt
List of Tables Acknowledgements Introduction Governing Fire Protection: The Origins of Municipal Fire Brigades, c.1800-38 Constructing Modern Fire Brigades: The Edinburgh 'Great Fire' of 1824 Controlling Fire: The Politics of Water and Steam Technology, c.1833-80 Firemen as Workers and Heroes: Working for Victorian Municipal Fire Brigades, c.1861-1900 Building a Professional Fire Service: The Rise of the Chief Fire Officer, C.1879-1914 Rational Reform in an Age of War: Creating a Modern Fire Service, 1914-38 From Braidwood to Braidy: A National Fire Service, 1941-7 From Fighting Fires to Fighting Firemen: A Fractured Fire Service, 1947-78 Conclusion. The British Fire Service in Comparative Context Notes Select Bibliography