Fighting fire
When asked to recall key dates from British history, one event that might spring to mind is the Great Fire of London of 1666. What began as a small blaze in a bakery in Pudding Lane would ultimately devour more than 13,000 homes. The closely confined, wooden-framed buildings with overhanging upper storeys helped the fire to spread rapidly with devastating consequences for the medieval city. Usually, the city authorities relied upon demolition to create a fire break, but they were unprepared and slow to react. The catastrophe starkly highlighted the considerable inadequacy of London’s existing fire precautions, prompting early steps towards organised fire services in Britain.
REACTIVE, NOT PROACTIVE
Nevertheless, since that disaster reform has, for the most part, been sporadic and reactive. The response to 1666 was indicative of a wider trend in the service’s history: invariably, it would take a major public tragedy to bring about each
