Early Days
There was no organised fire fighting until Roman times (The Greeks fought fires with whatever resources were available, but no special equipment or organised manpower were used).
Early attempts by the Romans to create an organised fire brigade were not that successful as they consisted of slaves who- for obvious reasons- were not that enthusiastic in carrying out the dangerous task of fire fighting.
For several hundred years the situation continued- the authorities threatening to raise taxes if the citizens continued to harass them for a proper fire brigade.
A disastrous fire in AD6 destroyed nearly a quarter of Rome and caused such an outcry that Emperor Augustus organised a fire brigade himself. He formed the first highly trained fire brigade called the "Corps of Vigiles". This group was very successful and so lasted 500 years!!! The collapse of the Roman Empire also saw the end of the first organised fire brigade.