The Lowell Fire Department was established by the state legislature on February 6, 1830. As Lowell began its climb as a center of industrial power, fire protection evolved from the days of the United Fire Society's bucket brigades to organized volunteer fire companies and a full-time paid department. Lowell Firefighting features images, memorabilia, and photographs covering more than 175 years of this mill city fire department's history. Photographs depict the work of Lowell's firefighters through a prolific period of serious fires and urban decay. Today the Lowell Fire Department protects a city rich with tradition that is reinventing itself, responding to all manner of fire and rescue emergencies.
Winner, 2010 Peter Neaverson Award, Association for Industrial Archaeology Patrick M. Malone demonstrates how innovative engineering helped make Lowell, Massachusetts, a potent symbol of American industrial prowess in the 19th century. Waterpower spurred the industrialization of the early United States and was the principal power for textile manufacturing until well after the Civil War. Industrial cities therefore grew alongside many of America’s major waterways. Ideally located at Pawtucket Falls on the Merrimack River, Lowell was one such city—a rural village rapidly transformed into a booming center for textile production and machine building. Malone explains how engineers created a complex canal and lock system in Lowell which harnessed the river and powered mills throughout the city. James B. Francis, arguably the finest engineer in 19th-century America, played a key role in the history of Lowell’s urban industrial development. An English immigrant who came to work for Lowell’s Proprietors of Locks and Canals as a young man, Francis rose to become both the company’s chief engineer and its managing executive. Linking Francis’s life and career with the larger story of waterpower in Lowell, Malone offers the only complete history of the design, construction, and operation of the Lowell canal system. Waterpower in Lowell informs broader understanding of urban industrial development, American scientific engineering, and the environmental impacts of technology. Its clear and instructional discussions of hydraulic technology and engineering principles make it a useful resource for a range of courses, including the history of technology, urban history, and American business history.
The Merrimack Valley became home to Greeks after the great immigration to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. After its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832, Greece had inadequate resources for its citizens, which led to much hardship. Many of these refugees came to the Merrimack Valley in search of a better living. They settled in Haverhill, Lawrence, and Lowell, Massachusetts, or Concord, Manchester, and Nashua, New Hampshire, where they secured jobs in factories and mills. Those who were unable to gain employment in the manufacturing industries went into the service sector; others became self-sufficient, building restaurants, shoe shops, and grocery stores. Although they suffered discrimination because of their distinct language and culture, they were not deterred; instead, they remained focused, went about their activities in peace, and contributed immensely to the socioeconomic development of their newfound home.
Apply the experience of dozens of leading authorities with the new Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services. This special fire service edition of NFPA's Fire Protection Handbook is comprised of 35 informative chapters that present the big picture in a single volume. All the topics fire service managers and fire and life safety educators need to know about are here including: Fire and fire science basics including fire data collection and databases, and use of incident data and statistics Information on fire and life safety education including how to reach high-risk groups, understanding media, and evaluation techniques Guidance on fire department administration and operations, pre-incident planning, EMS, training, apparatus and equipment, PPE, managing response to haz-mat incidents, rescue operations, fireground operations, and more! Order your copy today and put time-tested knowledge to work for you!
This 16-month wall calendar is filled with heart-stopping, on-scene photography of fire trucks in the heat of action curated by noted fire truck photographer and expert Larry Shapiro. Fire Trucks in Action 2023 features on-scene photography of fire trucks in the heat of action. With a convenient page that shows the months of September, October, November, and December 2022, followed by individual pages for the months of 2023, each incredible image is accompanied by an informative caption that details the vehicles pictured, location, and the firefighters’ emergency response. The calendar is curated by long-time fire buff and photographer Larry Shapiro, your guide to the hero-making world of firefighting.
