Firefighting in Washington, D.C.

Explore the complex, heroic and sometimes tragic history of firefighting in Washington, D.C., with images and oral histories gathered over the past century.

From the burning of Washington by the British in 1814 to the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon in 2001, firefighters in Washington, D.C., have always known they are the defenders of one of the most important cities in the world. Written by a worthy group of authors from The Capitol Fire Museum of Washington, this book covers the creation of the paid fire department during the Civil War, construction of new firehouses for the fledgling city in varying international designs, the heyday of firefighting before World War II, the turbulent times of the 1960s, and the modern department today.

The Capitol Fire Museum, Inc., is a District of Columbia-based, not-for-profit corporation, dedicated to opening a world-class fire museum in the city. One of the museum's earliest projects was cataloging and accounting for the missing and at one time substantial historic collection of fire relics belonging to the Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association of Washington, which was begun in 1866. After a lengthy search, many of the large items were accounted for, and The Capitol Fire Museum became a non-profit corporation to assist in care and preservation of these important relics.