Out of the three main services, the fire & rescue service is the oldest. Its roots date back to the 19th Century with the HM Coastguard.
Prior to the 1820s firefighting was done by parish volunteers, and private insurance companies. They would only do so if the residence in question was insured privately. This was after the Great Fire of London of 1666.
James Braidwood, the UK’s very first “Master of Engines”, created the UK’s municipal fire service after another Great Fire in Edinburgh in 1824. Braidwood went on to be the superintendent of London Fire Engine Establishment, which ended the use of private insurers and brought together ten independent brigades.
The British Government decided to create the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, a public-funded service, in 1866 after Braidwood died in 1861 when a wall fell on him during the Tooley Street Fire. This was the birth of the Fire & Rescue Service, still in use today with its distinctive reflective livery. For Chapter 8 chevrons, visit https://www.pvluk.com/chapter-8-chevrons
Police
The first police force was established in the 18th century. Although law enforcement has been around since the Middle Ages.
Before the late 19th century, the UK police force was largely a volunteer organisation, similar to the fire brigade. The Metropolitan Police Service, founded in 1829, was a result of Sir Robert Peel’s proposal to establish a professional police service. Peel was the Home Secretary and Prime Minister at the time. The Metropolitan Police Service was urgently needed as London, with a population of nearly 1 1/2 million, was policed by only 450 constables who were volunteers and 4,500 night watchmen.
Ambulance
In 900 AD, a hammock and two horses were used to transport patients for medical treatment. During WWI, motorised medical transport was used until modern ambulances were developed.
The ambulance service we use today is a modern version of the patient transport services that have been in existence for centuries.
Before the introduction of a national service for ambulances, the responsibility to transport patients from home to hospital was left to firefighters and police. This obviously had some issues. First aid training for firefighters and police was made mandatory in 1925, which exacerbated the need for an emergency ambulance service.
In 1948, due to the urgent need for an emergency service, the UK introduced the ambulance service, which was backed up by a government decision that all patients in need would receive free treatment.
Emergency Services
Technology and innovation will continue to advance rapidly due to the near constant demand of emergency services.
These emergency services are improving, and not only will the lives of those who risk their own lives to save another person be saved more quickly, but also easier.