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Fire Service Traditions
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Bagpipes at Fire Department Funerals
The tradition of bagpipes being played at a fire department funeral in the United States dates back over one hundred and fifty years.
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Dogs
Learn more about dogs of a fire station.
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Helmet Colors
A helmet is a very personal thing to a firefighter.
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The Maltese Cross
The Maltese Cross is known around the world as a symbol of the fire service.
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Red Fire Engines
The most widely accepted reason that fire engines are painted red dates back to the 1800s.
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Saint Florian
Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, was an officer in the Roman Army during the third century.
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Star of Life
Just as physicians have the caduceus, emergency medical service personnel have the Star of Life.
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Tolling of the Bell
Long before the Internet was invented, or telephones and radios were used across our great nation, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate using special codes to receive fire alarms from those once-familiar red fire alarm boxes, which stood on practically every street corner in America.
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Other Traditions
Other traditions in the fire service happen on a larger scale.