Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1852-1853
First paid steam-powered fire department
After a 1852 fire at his Eagle Ironworks, Miles Greenwood co-invented the first steam fire engine, and on April 1, 1853 Cincinnati created what it calls the first professional, paid fire department in the United States, with Greenwood as first chief.
At a glance
- Year
- 1852-1853
- Company
- Cincinnati Fire Department
- Place
- Cincinnati, Hamilton County ZIP 45202 · Cincinnati · Hamilton County
The story
Fire companies of the 1840s were volunteer groups who pulled hand pumps to a fire.
In 1852 a destructive fire at the ironworks of Miles Greenwood in Cincinnati pushed him to find better methods. He co-invented an early steam fire engine, and on April 1, 1853 Cincinnati created what it calls the first professional, paid fire department in the United States, with Greenwood as its first chief.
Others have a part in the story: Alexander Latta is often named as the engine's builder, but accounts differ on that. The department's motto is First in the Nation.
Today it has 26 fire stations, 624 people (2015) and two fireboats on 25 miles of Ohio River shoreline.
Timeline
- 1852: A fire at Miles Greenwood's ironworks pushes him toward better firefighting methods. (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 1853-04-01: Cincinnati forms the first paid professional fire department in the U.S. (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 1853-04-01: Miles Greenwood serves as the department's first chief. (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 2015: The department has 624 personnel and a budget of $95.7 million. (Cincinnati, OH) source
What it changed
- 26 stations, 26 engines, 12 ladder trucks and two fireboats today.
Why it matters
Landmark in municipal firefighting.
Who gets the credit is disputed
The Ohio claim. Cincinnati created what it calls the first professional, paid fire department in the United States on April 1, 1853, with Miles Greenwood, who had co-invented the steam fire engine, as first chief.
The other claims. The claim to be first is the department's own, and other histories credit Alexander Latta as the engine's builder, a role the source used here does not mention.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.