Portland FirefightingThe city of Portland, Maine, has an extraordinary history as a prominent seaport dating back to early colonial times. Few realize how heavily intertwined this history is with fire and firefighting. The motto of the city, Resurgam, is Latin for "I will rise again." The city symbol has long included the phoenix, a mythological bird that is said to arise from the ashes of its predecessor. With over 20 major conflagrations and four different fires that destroyed the majority of the city, both the symbol and the motto directly reference Portland's perseverance despite catastrophic fire. As the Portland Fire Department celebrates the 250th anniversary of the inception of organized fire protection on March 29, 1768, Portland Firefighting takes the reader on a photographic tour encompassing not only the department's history but also the development of firefighting through the centuries. |
Contents
Foreword | 6 |
Firehouses | 21 |
Apparatus | 35 |
Fire Companies | 53 |
Divisions | 67 |
Remarkable Fires | 95 |
The Portland Fire Museum | 113 |
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Common terms and phrases
alarms were struck ambulance American LaFrance Amoskeag Avenue firehouse badge Brackett Street firehouse Bramhall Fire Station building built Capt Central Fire Station Chemical City of Portland conflagration Cumberland Three Deering Fire Department Engine 11 Engine Company Four Engine Company Six Engine Five Engine Four engine house Engine Nine Engine Seven Engine Six Falmouth February 17 fire alarm fireboat firefighters Frederick Barnes Hand Engine Hose Eight hose wagon India Street firehouse Ladder Company Four Ladder Five Ladder Four Ladder Six Ladder Three ladder truck left to right Machigonne Medcu Five Medcu Three motor pumper motorized apparatus Munjoy Hill North Deering Old Central organized originally Park Avenue Peaks Island PFD’s photograph shows Portland Company Portland Fire Department Portland Fire Department’s Portland International Jetport Portland Observatory Portland Veteran Firemen’s pump relocated Rescue Seagrave seen Spring Street Steam Engine steel aerial Stevens Avenue Three alarms today’s two-alarm fire Veteran Firemen’s Association