The Barcelona Fire Service as it is known today was born in 1865 when the City Council of Barcelona assumed the Fire Company, created years ago by the Society of Mutual Insurance against Fires. Long before, however, the city already had different organizations, usually formed by union volunteers who, in a more or less successful manner, intervened in the extinction of fires.
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Construction workers, carpenters and locks of each District were called by the “ring of fire”, the insistent ringing of bells, and were directed in the operation by the first councilor of works of the City Council that reached the site of the accident . The neighbors also intervened but the lack of means (buckets, a manual bomb and some stairs), the little preparation and the city’s own urban planning – with narrow streets, small, tight houses and industries within the urban center- made it very difficult to succeed in the interventions. The fire ended up extinguishing, but too often it dragged whole buildings, private properties and some lives.
Regulation of the Mutual Insurance Society of Barcelona 1836
To try to minimize the damage of fires, the Society of Mutual Insurance against Fire, a philanthropic organization that was driven by property owners and members of the municipal government, was established in 1835. The burning of Convents of the Night of Saint James in 1835 gave the final impetus to the constitution of the Mutual Society, that together with the City Council of Barcelona created the first Fire Company.
Ramon Soley Cetó. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona. 1835
The company consisted of 30 construction workers or maneuvers, 8 carpenters and 2 locksmiths at the orders of a commander and 4 chaplains. It had a budget of 1,000 Catalan pounds per year plus monthly installments and daily expenses for each fire. The architect Josep Mas i Vila was the first leader.
Gravat procedent de La Ilustración. Periódico Universal (Madrid), 7, 15 febrer 1851, p. 49. La descripció dels fets a la mateixa revista, número 6, 8 febrer 1851, p. 41-42. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona. 1851
In 1851, when the Mutual Society was fully responsible for the Fire Company, the architect Antoni Rovira i Trias was appointed head of Fire. In 1856, Rovira published the Manual for the Stopping of Fire, a treatise on theorizing the best way to organize the fire service management based on his own experience and taking as a reference the organization of the fire brigade companies in France. In this theoretical treatise on the management of the fire service Rovira indicates that the management can be municipal, military or private – three models that the city had experienced – but strengthens the municipalization of the service. In that sense, Rovira emphasizes the need for municipal governments to commit themselves to the extinction of the fire through a well-prepared, equipped and targeted company and in a prevention policy, especially in the most popular areas such as theaters and party halls. Six years later the flames completely destroyed the Teatre del Liceu.
Sanz, F. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona. 1861 Incendi del Gran Teatre del Liceu el 9 d’abril de 1861. Les flames surten de darrere l’edifici. En primer terme, els bombers apagant el foc.
The fire of the Liceu Opera Hall in 1861 will be a turning point and will start a decade of change and modernization in the city and in the service of Firefighters: Barcelona demolishes its walls and the city breathes and widens with the Cerdà Plan. The City Council collects the insistent requests and civic proposals for the regulation of the fire service and in 1865, the Fire Brigade is definitively located in order to protect the safety of the citizens of Barcelona.
Imatges i records, p. 18
This is the beginning of a stage of innovations and advances in the Firefighters Service of Barcelona that will become a benchmark and a model both national and internationaly.
Bonet, Pere Joan. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona. 1888
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Història
By applying the technologies of each time, the evolution of the Barcelona Fire Brigade has been parallel to that of the society to whom has always dedicated its efforts. The images show us machines and utensils used by the Barcelona Fire Brigade, that reflect the technological advance resulting from the desire to offer a better service to the citizens. Such as the 22 meter “Porta” staircase that was used at the beginning of the XX century and that, according to sources of that time, it could be set “in just 6 minutes.” The tools and machines have changed, but the firefighters keep working with the same spirit of service and sacrifice that had those pioneers.
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Enginyeria
As a human group, the Firefighters have always lived under the risk and uncertainty implicit in their work. Team discipline and individual initiative play a determining role in equal parts. The internal organizational structure, with hierarchical positions of military nomenclature, coexists with the bonds that are established between firefighters, based on companionship, appreciation and leadership styles based on respect, as it can not be otherwise when your partner can save your life at any time. But what defines a firefighter?
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Valors
The daily work of a firefighter is precisely to live in the “non-everyday”. In the fire stations the training allows the intervention teams to be in optimal conditions and to the rest of the staff, giving the necessary support that requires a demanding day to day. It is a task that requires planning and also a capacity for constant reaction to a reality raising new challenges for each service. Fortunately, the firefighters have always been known for their great inventive ! Firefighter Ideas? Let’s see where they come from …
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Quotidianitat
Commitment to society, pleasure in sports, cultural restlessness and the desire to have fun are the characteristics of the Fire Brigade that, in the mid-40s, created the group known as “La Cultural”, still existing, with 9 sports sections.
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Cultura
The Barcelona Fire Department collaborates actively with various non-governmental humanitarian aid organizations around the world. It is the will of service and the satisfaction of helping that moves the firemen inside and beyond our borders.
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Cooperació
The spirit of service and professionalism have been constant throughout the time of existence of the body. An example is the performance of the Barcelona Fire Brigade during the civil war. The numerous outings during these years of bombing helped minimize the damage suffered by the city and the citizens while maintaining the equipment and the capacity for action intact during those years of shortages. Despite this exercise of professionalism, once the confrontations finished and Franco’s troops occupied the city, a good part of the body of firefighters underwent depurations. Just like this hidden and often dark face that marks the signs of time, the reality and circumstances of the firefighter’s work are not always how we figure…
Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Saber fer
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Xavier Valentí June 8th, 2018
Posted In: Els Elements