The history of organized firefighting dates back at least to Ancient Egypt, where hand-operated pumps may have been employed to extinguish fires.

The first Roman fire brigade was a group of slaves who were hired by an aedile Marcus Egnatius Rufus.

Augustus took this idea from Rufus and then built on it to form the (Vigiles) in AD 6 to combat fires using bucket brigades and pumps, as well as poles, hooks and even ballistae to tear down buildings in advance of the flames. The Vigiles patrolled the streets of Rome to watch for fires and served as the police force.

Click here to read the entire article posted on FireLink that includes pictures of historic firefighting tools.