Today in Fire History 2/29

Leap Year was “invented” back in the first century BC when Julius Caesar and his team of astronomers noticed that their Roman calendar had somehow slipped out of sync with the seasons. They came up with a 365-day calendar that would sometimes add an extra day to the last month of the year, which was February. The purpose of adding an extra day to February every four years is to sync up the 365-day Gregorian calendar with the solar calendar, which is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds long — the (near) exact amount of time it takes the earth to revolve around the sun.

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On 2/29/1704 Deerfield, “a frontier settlement in western Massachusetts, was attacked by a French and Native American force. Some 100 men, women, and children were massacred as the town was burned to the ground.”

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On 2/29/1952 a West Farms, Bronx, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died of injuries he received from smoke inhalation while operating at a fire.”

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On 2/29/1952 an Army plant under construction fire resulted in a multi-million-dollar loss in Livonia, Michigan

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On 2/29/1960 an earthquake devastates a Moroccan city

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Traditionally the rank structure in most of the United States fire service is represented by the speaking trumpet or horn a device that predates the use of radios. Properly called a speaking trumpet or horn. Fire ground commanders use these devices to project verbal commands to those operating on the fire ground. Some mistakenly refer to them as bugles. … The bugle is also used to communicate commands through a series of musical notes traditionally used by the military and some other organizations to provide directions. Bugle commands are still used today start the day off with reveille and complete the day with taps. There are numerous bugle calls including one to indicate a fire. So important to the military, during the Civil War, the Union Army used a bugle to represent the infantry corps. … However, there is no record of bugles being used in the fire service to issue fire ground commands.

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As more American volunteer firefighting companies began to form during the late 18th Century, a need emerged for better-organized efforts in combating conflagrations. Engineers and officers would use “speaking trumpets” to amplify their voices over the noise and commotion of a fire scene to direct the company in effectively fighting the blaze. Two trumpet variants are reflected in the collection: plain and functional “working” trumpets that were actively used at fires, and highly decorated “presentation” trumpets. Presentation trumpets were awarded to firefighters in honor of their service, or between fire companies during visits, competitions, and musters. They were also often utilized after the fire: by stuffing a cork in one end or some wadded-up fabric, the trumpet could be used for a drinking mug of sorts. During an altercation with another fire company, a common occurrence in the 1800s, the speaking trumpet could be utilized as a formidable weapon when swung with might. … This painted tin-speaking trumpet was used in active duty during the late 18th or early 19th Century.