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Copyright © 2013 by 911 C.A.S.P.E.R. Systems No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted In any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

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Writing from the author.

Printed in the United States of America For more information or to order additional books, please contact:

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U.S.A. 1-276-229-4200

1-855-930-SIGN (7446) www.911CASPER.com

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Foreword

No one can forget the Heroes of the 9-11 events that struck our country and the many

lives they saved and even sacrificed their own life in the call of duty. Our hearts will

always be thankful for them and they will live on for eternity. However, heroic acts are

being done everyday across our nation from the service men and women of our cities

and counties that serve and protect us yet go unnoticed for their bravery and good

deeds.

We as a nation have taken for granted the services of our 911 Emergency Teams that

come to our rescue during our life crises. Within minutes of a 911 call Emergency

Teams are swiftly dispatched to the scene of an accident or fire with life saving skills and

equipment. We all pray that we would never have to make that 911 call but in the

event that we do, it is extremely comforting to know that our 911 Emergency Teams will

be there for us.

For those who serve our cities and country no amount of money or recognition could

repay their heroic acts towards us. Millions of people have survived their traumatic

accidents because of the heroic courage of our 911 Emergency Teams.

For this reason I am so excited about this dynamic book “History of 911 First

Responders” written by Chuck Freels. It gives us the inside history and information that

helps shed light on the important issues that make our 911 Emergency Teams so vital to

our life. It brings us to a point of understanding and appreciation of the men and

women who put their life on the line everyday to protect and preserve ours.

After reading this book you will never again look at the 911 Emergency Teams as just a

service that is taken for granted, but instead will view them with gratitude and

appreciation these heroes justly deserve.

Thank you Chuck Freels for helping us understand the value of both our past and

present 911 Responders. Without their dedicated service many would not be reading

these pages today.

Don and Melinda Boyer

Creators of “The Power of Mentorship” Book Series

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According to my Genealogy:

This is Don Freels, an ancestor of mine, seated atop this early response vehicle.

This picture was taken in the early 1900s in Denison, TX.

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Introduction

While growing up, like most young boys and girls probably were, I was

intrigued with my local fire department and ambulances’ service. The fire

department / rescue squad from my childhood neighborhood was located

next to the playground; so my friends and I would see them come and go

with the trucks lights and sirens blaring and hearing the fire siren on top of

the fire house sounding to notify all members to respond - the whole town

would hear it.

My first time in my hometown Narberth fire house was for my Blue & Gold

Banquet with my Cub Scout Troup when I was around seven years old, so

you could say it was probably then when I caught the bug. From that point

on my friends and I would go out of our way so we could walk by the

station and peer in the open bay doors trying to get a glimpse of the

activities inside. As a young boy, I always thought it was an extra special

day when I would walk by as the trucks and ambulances were pulling out.

But no matter where we were, when we would hear the siren go off we

would run to the fire house to see them leave. I can still remember the

adrenaline rushing through my body watching the firefighters hurrying to

get to the scene as fast as they could to help the person or persons in need.

As I grew older the Boy Scouts kept me in touch with the fire department,

my friends and I even earned some our merit badges at another fire

station. One of the fire departments even let us help around the fire house

and let us train with them. Those memories really stuck with me.

That is why, after our home burnt down, it was not a far stretch of

character for me to join my new towns fire department – then I soon joined

the rescue squad as well. The rush of adrenaline I received as I was one of

the firefighters hurrying to get on scene brought me back to when I was a

small boy – but now I was the one helping the person(s) in need.

Not long ago, I was given the picture from the previous page from one of

my relatives, Mike Freels. It is of one of my ancestors’ who was a firefighter

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as well. So I guess you can say that it was part of my DNA to want to

become a firefighter.

After seeing the picture of my ancestor, it got me thinking . . . . What was it

like in the olden days to be a first responder . . . .? How did people even

communicate to get help – or know that danger was nearby? As I kicked

around these questions to some of my colleagues, they seemed as

interested as I did – so I decided to start collecting information and put it in

this Book. I hope you find this information as interesting as I do.

Early History

It is probably not too difficult to realize that the Romans were the first

documented civilized culture to have a structured firefighting department.

One account, according to Wikipedia, was that the first Roman fire brigade

of which we have any substantial history was created by Marcus Licinius

Crassus. Marcus Licinius Crassus was born into a

wealthy Roman family around the year 115 BC, and

acquired an enormous fortune through (in the

words of Plutarch) "fire and rapine." One of his most

lucrative schemes took advantage of the fact that

Rome had no fire department. Crassus filled this

void by creating his own brigade—500 men strong—

which rushed to burning buildings at the first cry of

alarm. Upon arriving at the scene, however, the fire

fighters did nothing while their employer bargained

over the price of their services with the distressed

property owner. If Crassus could not negotiate a satisfactory price, his men

simply let the structure burn to the ground, after which he offered to

purchase it for a fraction of its value.

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Another account in Wikipedia and other sites was about the Vigiles. The

department was called the Triumviri Nocturni, which is Latin for: Triumviri

– an office filled coordinately by three persons; Nocturmi – of the Night.

These first men, who were privately owned slaves, were organized into a

group that combated the common problems of fire and conflagrations (or

simply put: a large fire that threatens life and property) in Rome. I could

not find as to why the privately operated system became ineffective, or not

effective enough, but it did and it was abandoned as a service.

However in the interest of keeping himself and Rome safe, Augustus, the

first emperor of Rome, initiated the first

municipal protection force, which he

named the Vigiles Urbani, otherwise

known as the watchmen of the city in 24

B.C... The Corps of Vigiles was

comprised of seven thousand freed

slaves who would win citizenship after

six years service in Vigiles. After a

century, freed men would enter the

service of the Vigiles merely for the

prestige that came with the service. Thus the fire service was born. In A.D.

6 this service was paid for by putting a 4% levy on the sale of slaves. In this

account, Augustus modeled the new firefighters after the fire brigade

of Alexandria, Egypt. The Vigiles were also known by their

nickname Spartoli or "little bucket fellows" which was given to them

because of the buckets they carried water in, which were made of rope

sealed with pitch.

Regulations for checking and preventing fires were developed during this

time period too. Plus, in the preindustrial era most cities had watchmen

who sounded an alarm at signs of fire. The principal piece of fire-fighting

equipment in ancient Rome and into early modern times was the bucket,

passed from hand to hand to deliver water to the fire.

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Another important fire-fighting tool developed was the ax, used to remove

the fuel and prevent the spread of fire as well as to make openings that

would allow heat and smoke to escape a burning building. In major

conflagrations long hooks with ropes were used to pull down buildings in

the path of an approaching fire to create firebreaks. They used blankets

soaked in water to help put our fires. They even toyed with a series of

chemical fire extinguishing methods, including the use of vinegar. When

explosives were available, they would be used for this same purpose.

This area of firefighters eventually grew into a group that were

commanded by the praefectus vigilum, (Latin for ‘Perfect Vigil’) who was

of equestrian rank (equestrians constituted the lower of the two

aristocratic classes of ancient Rome) and subpraefectus (Latin for a

Subordinate Commander) were divided into seven cohorts (Cohorts was

the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion during the Second Punic War 218

to 201 BC ) commanded by a tribune (Tribune was a title shared by elected

officials in the Roman Republic). Each cohort was divided into

seven centuries (Centuries were in groups of about 100 men), each of 70–

80 men commanded by a centurion (a Centurion was a professional officer

of the Roman army). Each cohort patrolled two of the city's fourteen

administrative regions (In 7 BC, Augustus divided the city of Rome into 14

administrative regions). The cohorts were doubled in size in AD 205.

The Vigil also acted as a night watch, keeping an eye out for burglars and

hunting down runaway slaves, and was on occasion used to maintain order

in the streets.

The Vigils’ appear to have lost their status as an independent unit and come

under the authority of the Praetorian prefects (Praetorian’s were a force

of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. sometime in the early 3rd

century.

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Different Early Warning Systems

Damian Zimmerman did a very interesting Study called ‘The Great Wall of

China’ and within the Study he states the following: “Parts of the vast

fortification (the Great Wall of China) dates from the 4th century BC. In 214

BC Shih Huang-ti, the first emperor of a united China connected a number

of existing defensive walls into a single system

fortified by watchtowers. The towers served

both to guard the rampart and to communicate

with the former capital, Hsian-yang, near Sian,

by signal -- smoke by day and fire by night.

Alarm was raised by means of smoke signals, at

night by fire. Smoke was produced by burning a

mixture of wolf dung, sulfur and saltpeter. Shots

were fired at the same time. Thus an alarm

could be relayed over 500km within just a few

hours. The principal enemy against whom the Great Wall was built was the

Hsiung-nu, the nomadic tribes of the northern steppes.”

As with many of the different cultures, people started seeing that there was

a need for more advanced notice for impending danger so they started

developing systems that could travel long distances quickly. The Africans

used drum telegraphy to communicate with each other from far away for

centuries. When European expeditions came into the jungles to explore the

primeval forest, they were surprised to find that the message of their

coming and their intention was carried through the woods a step in

advance of their arrival. Another way drums were documented to warn for

was of approaching storms. An African message can be transmitted at the

speed of 100 miles in an hour.

China wasn’t the only ones to use smoke as their warning and

communication system. Smoke Signals were used by many cultures

including the Native American Indians as a means to quickly communicate

visual messages over long distances. The simple messages sent via these

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signals were conveyed by means of columns or intermittent puffs or clouds

of smoke.

The cowboys used mirrors, I could not find any documentation on that –

but I did see it in the old western movies I used to watch as a kid. So it had

to be true . . . . Right? In Boy Scouts one of the things we learned as a

communication tool was Morse Code and use of signaling mirrors.

However, according to Adventure Sports, “Of all the signaling devices that

are used in this age of air assisted rescue, possibly the most useful one is

the smallest, simplest, and the one that is least used and understood by

most of us who venture into the Outdoors...THE SIGNAL MIRROR.”

US History and first forms of Warning Systems

Ben Franklin was a pretty clever guy, in the

1700’s, when Ben Franklin, after visiting his

birth place in Boston, Massachusetts, noted

that the inhabitants of his native city were

far better prepared to fight fires than the

natives of his adopted city, Philadelphia.

Upon returning home, he consulted the

Junto, a benevolent group dedicated to civic

and self-improvement, and asked for their

suggestions on better ways to combat fires.

Franklin also sought to raise public

awareness about the city's dire need to

improve fire-fighting techniques. Franklin felt that Goodwill and amateur

firefighters were not enough, though. He posted in his newspaper, The

Gazette, that he suggested a "Club or Society of active Men belonging to

each Fire Engine; whose Business is to attend all Fires with it whenever they

happen."

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During that same time period in Boston, Paul Revere, not only was the

warning system that became the famous Patriot messenger who during his

Midnight Ride warned John Hancock and Sam Adams that the British were

coming, but was also the Boston’s Fire Warden in 1775. Boston was the

first one to get a paid fire department in 1678. Before that the city had a

fully volunteer fire department which was created in 1671, shortly after

Boston was founded in 1630. Not surprisingly the first fire engine was

brought from England. Tomas Atkins was appointed the first foreman of the

Boston Fire Company. In 1711 the fire organization was expanded to ten

fire wards given the authority to organize fire fighters and arrest looters.

Despite these precautions the first of Boston’s “great fires” occurred on

March 20, 1760. It destroyed 349 buildings. In the same year the 9 fire

companies were established and the city was divided into fire districts.

The Fire Bell

Picture from the Belle Terre

"But this momentous question, like a fire bell in the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the Union. It is hushed indeed for the moment. But this is a reprieve only, not a final sentence."

. . . . . to John Holmes (discussing the Missouri question), Monticello, 22 April 1820

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As the above quote insinuates, the ‘fire bell’ was a very ominous thing to hear. Although the fire bell that is outlined below was developed the same year that Jefferson died, I found this information interesting as well since it was partly thought of due to the fire bell of Jefferson’s time. Sadly though, much like our C.A.S.P.E.R. System, many inventions are born from tragedy.

According to the Belle Terre September 2011 Newsletter, the inventor, Walter Hunt, while one day in New York City, saw a little girl run over by a carriage. The year was 1826. The driver couldn’t blow his horn because he needed to keep both hands on the reins. Walter returned home to upstate New York, disturbed by what he had witnessed. He devised a metal gong with a hammer that could be operated by foot: carriages then became much safer. The idea of a metal gong struck by a hammer was eventually applied to what became the fire gong. In our times, these rare relics of the past are usually seen at fire stations as memorials to volunteers. Fire gongs were often made of discarded locomotive wheels. Along with other early methods of warning people of fires (ringing church bells, shooting guns into the air, roving watchmen using hand bell ringers, blowing factory whistles), fire gongs didn’t tell the location of the fire. After Samuel F. B. Morse invented the telegraph (1835), numbered fire alarm boxes were installed throughout a town; the location of a telegraphed message was indicated by the number of the box sending the signal. Eventually telegraph systems were replaced by siren systems.

From the beginning of recorded history people have learned that early response to fires and other emergency situations had positive results in controlling those situations and saving lives and property. When someone discovered a fire the fire brigades and fire departments were alerted by roving watchmen using hand bell-ringers or church sextons ringing church bells or factory steam whistles. Unfortunately these systems did not provide very much detail and often directed the fire department to the wrong location. But with the advent of the telegraph, invented in the early 1840.s by Samuel F. B. Morse, firefighters were given a faster and more accurate fire reporting system In 1847, New York became the first American city to begin construction of a municipal fire alarm system required by ordinance to construct a line of telegraph, by setting posts in the ground, for communicating alarms of fire

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from the City Hall to different fire stations, and [to] instruct the different bell-ringers in the use of said invention...

The first Fire Alarm Telegraph was installed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852. The first alarm recorded was on April 26 of that year. At one time, almost every city with a Fire Department used these systems.

As you can imagine, there is such an enormous amount of information that

could have been put in this report. So, if you are interested, you can go to

these two sites and find out more about the USA’s History:

National Emergency Management Association -

John Bruckner, Ex Deputy Chief of Communications –

FEMA made The Evolution of Public Emergency Alerting Chart above which

shows you a snap shot of the progression of technology that was used

during the evolution of Public Alerting and how it has lead to create the

version of IPAWS we have today.

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From the short time period John Bruckner’s depicts, it is exciting to see how

far The United States and technology has come.

So where are we now?

“One of the major lessons that emergency management professionals have learned over the past twenty years is when it comes to communication, there’s never too much.” Brinck Slattery

You can see by FEMA’s Chart on the previous page that the United States

has been a front leader with implementing

early warning communication systems. The

United States has also been instrumental with

facilitating many of the needed guidelines and

safety precautions to keep its Citizens and

firefighters, Rescue Squads and all First

Responders in which the NFPA (National Fire

Protection Association) have developed. As FEMA’s website states: The

mission of the international nonprofit NFPA, established in 1896, is to

reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life

by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research,

training, and education.

As the FEMA Chart on the previous page illustrates, IPAWS was first

brought about in 2006. We as individuals may or may not have heard

about IPAWS. However, this research has brought me to the understanding

of how really important and imperative our warning systems are. It has

also made me more appreciative of IPAWS. What is IPAWS? FEMA has put

together a branch called IPAWS; IPAWS stands for Integrated Public Alerts

and Warning Systems. While you were at our site I hope you took the few

minutes to watch the video on the IPAWS page that FEMA IPAWS put

together that explains it further. If you didn’t watch it, please go back to

www.911CASPER.com/IPAWS and watch it now.

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I personally feel that the most important thing we as ‘The keepers of our

Communities’ can do is provide the most up to date warning systems

available for our community members. IPAWS is the most instantaneous,

all inclusive Alert, geographically targeting, Warning and Message System

anyone can provide to their Community.

Thank you for our shared interest and Community Concern!

Chuck Freels

George Freels and Albert Freels (standing) and

John Buck Freels & Don Freels (seated).

(The resemblance between

John Buck Freels and I are pretty amazing!)

www.911CASPER.com

10086 Woolwine Hwy.

Woolwine, VA 24185

276-229-4200

Chuck@911CASPER.com

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Works Sited

Freels’ Family Ancestor Pictures courtesy of Mike Freels

Vintage Fire Museum / Fire Engines

Wikia / Spartacus / Marcus Licinius Crassus

Big Picture History / Caesar Augustus, First Emperor of Rome

Cultural China / Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum (Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor)

NNDB / Benjamin Franklin

FEMA IPAWS / The Evolution of Public Emergency Alerting

Public Intelligence - Mine-Detecting Dolphins Used in California Terror Drill

Emergency Dispatch / The History of Firefighting

Emergency City – Ancient Rome: To The Rescue Without Emergency Vehicle Lights?

Wikipedia / Vigiles

Wikipedia / History of Firefighting

Ana Hernandez - Entering Life's Rhythms Drumming a way into sacred time

Native Indian Tribes / War Paths – Peace Pipes

U.S. History / Franklin-Philadelphia-Fire

Paul Revere Heritage / Fire Warden

The Jefferson Monticello

Belle Terre Newsletter 2011 Volume 11 - Issue 3

National Fire Protestion Association / Fire Alarm System Research W. Moore

NOAA Website – Ashwood PDF

Dispatch Magazine On-Line / 911 History