Outside of Rome, the duties of protecting cities from fires were assigned to associations of artisans, called fabers. In particular, historians mention such units in Aquincum and Savaria, which are located on the territory of modern Hungary. They consisted of blacksmiths, weavers, masons, carpenters, that is, all those who were especially afraid of fires - in the event of a fire, they at least lost a source of income. In addition, the artisans always had the necessary tools at hand, and they were also well versed in the construction of buildings, which allowed them to be quickly disassembled. Certain privileges were supposed to be given to such firefighters - they were exempted from many public works and citywide duties.
Aquincum Museum in Hungary
"In the name of our greatest Jupiter, Claudius Pompeii Faustus, adviser to Aquincum, a former police officer and burgomaster, led, as commander and chief of the Faber society, the teachings of the said society on the fifth day before the first of August."
This adage, which confirms the regular training of firefighters, is immortalized on two altars in Aquincum. In addition to extinguishing fires and exercises, the firefighters were engaged in another important matter. The headquarters of the centonarii (recall that these are specialists in extinguishing fire with cloth) was located at the gates of the city, which speaks of their "dual purpose". In the event of barbarian aggression, firefighters urgently retrained as defenders of the city walls. However, the examples of Aquincum and Savaria are, rather, exceptions to the general trend - the peripheral cities of the empire did not specifically protect themselves from the deadly fire. This was largely due to the distrust of the higher authorities in the population of many regions of the state. An example of such a tough policy was AD 53. e., when in the province of Nicomedia a fire destroyed many administrative buildings and residential buildings in a few days. The viceroy of the emperor Pliny the Younger was an eyewitness to the disaster. He reported to the Supreme Commander about the complete absence of fire departments in the territory:
“The fire broke out over a large area from a strong wind, partly from the negligence of the inhabitants, who, as usually happens, remained idle spectators of such a misfortune. Consider (Emperor Trajan), it would not be advisable to organize a division of Fabers, which would number at least 150 people. And I will make sure that only fabers are included in this division and that they do not abuse their rights."
Memory of the cynical and calculating Emperor Trajan
The emperor's answer was very laconic and very clear:
“The population in the East is restless. Therefore, it will be enough if the people help to extinguish the fire. It is better to collect the tools used to extinguish the fire, and make it a duty to the owners of the houses, so that when circumstances require, they themselves try to use the crowd of people."
As a result, the "Law of the XII Tables" began to require every homeowner to have a supply of water, saws, axes, ladders and woolen blankets. The main method of extinguishing in those days was to isolate the fire from the air with fabric blankets called cento. Alternatively, large cattle skins could be used. Delivery of water was usually carried out using buckets on a rocker, or in simple clay pots or buckets. On one of the ancient images preserved in Italy, a firefighter is displayed with a pickaxe, a cent and a signature - dolabrius. This is a new type of fire-fighter of Ancient Rome, the name of the position of which comes from the Latin word "pick". Firefighters with pickaxes and on one little-known monument in Komum, on which it is written: "Many companies of centonarius with picks and ladders are mentioned here."
Karl Theodor von Piloti. "Nero looks at burning Rome"
Henryk Semiradsky. "Lights of Christianity. Torches of Nero". Illustration of Nero's revenge for the devastating fire
Despite all precautions, July 19, 64 BC. NS. a fire broke out in Rome, which lasted eight whole days and became one of the most destructive in history. It even got its own name, Magnum Incendium Romae, or the Great Fire of Rome. Ten of the fourteen districts of the capital were destroyed, a huge number of cultural values - temples, paintings, books - were destroyed in the fire, and three thousand copper plaques with Senate decrees dating back to the early days of Rome were melted. The historian Cornelius Tacitus describes the disaster in the following words:
“The rapidly advancing flame, which raged at first on level ground, then rose on a hill and rushed down again, outstripped the opportunity to fight it, and because of the speed with which misfortune was approaching, and because the city itself was with curves, bending here and now there narrow streets and tight buildings, which was the former Rome, easily became its prey”.
Rome was saved from complete destruction by fire brigades, who quickly dismantled entire neighborhoods, thereby stopping the procession of fire. This was in many ways a lesson for the emperor Nero, who, of course, found the guilty ones in the face of Christians, but seriously thought about strengthening the fire department. Another catastrophe occurred in 23 BC. NS. in a place of mass gathering of people - a wooden amphitheater. Fire swiftly engulfed the stands, claiming several thousand lives for the panicked Romans. This tragedy became the impetus for innovations in Roman construction - there were requirements for the maximum height of the construction of buildings, as well as the presence of large undeveloped areas between buildings.
Multi-storey buildings of Ancient Rome, which became a fire trap for hundreds of citizens
Stone staircases of multi-storey buildings - a necessary requirement of the time
Houses were now ordered to be erected separately, as well as "to leave the courtyards and the buildings themselves in a certain part of them without wooden beams, from stones of the Habinus or Albanus mountains, since the stone is more resistant to fire." Also, halls with columns should have been placed in front of the houses, and from their low flat roofs it was easier to reflect the onset of the flames. Multi-storey buildings were ordered not to be built higher than 21 meters, and later the maximum height was generally limited to 17 meters - the death of people from fires with such planning, as expected, decreased. Each floor of such Roman high-rise buildings must be equipped with a separate stone staircase. The Romans also took care of the fire safety of theaters. They were ordered to be erected exclusively from marble, and the stage part was to be equipped with emergency exits in four directions. Industrial enterprises, in which the fire was a permanent resident, over time, generally began to be carried out of the city. And the Romans planned the location of such buildings for a reason, but taking into account the wind rose. Perhaps this can still be learned from the ancient architects of the Roman Empire. During their heyday, the Romans actively used inexpensive and widespread materials for construction - tuff, rubble stone, raw brick and many others, trying to exclude wood from the structure. And if, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid wooden elements, then each board and log was prescribed to be impregnated with vinegar and clay.
Inner hall with columns and a flat roof in a typical building of a Roman rich man
The main savior from fires at all times, of course, was water. And then the Romans took one of the most serious steps in world history - they built water pipes. The first appeared in 312 BC. NS. and was immediately 16, 5 km long, and already in the 1st century. n. NS. in Rome there were eleven plumbing, in which water was supplied by gravity. An unprecedented luxury - daily water consumption per inhabitant could reach 900 liters! In the course of evolution, Roman aqueducts moved from open canals to closed lead pipes that ended in city fountains. These structures played the role of both recreation facilities and sources of life-saving water in case of extinguishing fires. Over time, it was the high saturation of Rome with water sources that helped the city not to completely burn out from the next fire. As you know, the Roman civilization died for a completely different reason.
