From the bell to the computer - History of fire call and fire alarm

Abstract

The appearance of fire was basically a positive factor for man, there was no defence against it. The settling of man, the appearance of the settlements and towns required defence against fire as an activity of people of which first step was notifying each other. At that time every citizen had to fire alarm and firefight, later it became the city guards’ (watchmen’s, railroaders’) job to watch fire and alert the citizens and superiors. The fire was watched from high territories, then towers, and the alarm was given by available acoustic signals. The development of this area was caused by the invention of electric energy and the learning about the process of combustion as a chemical process. The telephone and the fire detector were invented allowing direct detection and signalling of the fire and its transmission to organized fire brigades. Computer was invented in the 20th century, that made it possible to receive and transmit information quickly. GIS appeared in fire protection and firefighting, which was a significant step in the field of firedetection and alarm. The telephone, the fire alarm and the computer were connected.