Book 3, Question 146
Why Do Firefighters Use Axes and Hoses?
A fire needs fuel, heat, and air. A hose steals heat with water, and an axe makes a path. So people and water can reach the right spot!
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 3
More fun facts
- Around 1800, families kept leather fire buckets in the front hall to help fight fires.
- Neighbors formed a bucket brigade, passing water toward the fire one bucket at a time.
- Buckets were painted with names so they could be returned to their owners after the fire.
- In 1807, a way was invented to make hoses from riveted leather, which helped control water under pressure.
- Before steam pumps, firefighters had to pump water by hand from the fire engine.
- The first practical steam pump fire engines came into use in the 1850s.
- Fire axes from the early 1800s were used to get into burning buildings.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
What was a bucket brigade?
A line of neighbors who filled buckets with water and passed them along to throw on a fire.