Organised at Last!

The first large authority to establish a proper fire brigade was Edinburgh in 1824. They purchased a large amount of equipment and recruited eighty firemen. A man named James Braidwood was given the job of Master of the Fire Engines.
At his first major fire the fireground became confused, as Braidwoods orders were not reaching the men due to various "Gentlemen" also giving orders (as was customary at the time). Intense and organised training of his men followed and the communications improved so his men now obeyed no one else!
1829 saw the introduction of the first steam fire engine, built by John Braithwaite of London. The limited success of this invention meant that by 1833 production had ceased. In 1832 several insurance brigades amalgamated and recruited James Braidwood as head of the London Fire Engine Establishment. As in Edinburgh, Braidwood ran a disciplined group of men and improved methods of fire fighting in the city. James Braidwood died whilst fighting a fire in 1861.
Due to the rising costs of manpower in the mid 19th Century, interest in steam appliances was revitalised. In Britain in 1858 Shand, Mason and Co produced a steam machine.
Around 1860 fire fighting arrangements in Britain were complicated. There were brigades manned by the Police, Insurance Brigades and Volunteer Brigades. "Country House" brigades were also set up due to the length of time it would take other brigades to arrive at the property. After Braidwoods death in 1861, a Police Fire Brigade was formed under the control of the Metropolitan Board of Works- Captain Eyre Massey Shaw was chosen to take charge of this brigade, and was appointed Chief Officer when the brigade went public in 1866. Shaw operated a very efficient service and significantly increased the number of stations and manpower.
Communications were also improving by the 1900's with the introduction of the telephone systems although this took a while to be generally available. Many local authority brigades were formed by this time but no standards for hydrants and other equipment was established which was to cause problems later.
Also by this time the self-propelled steamer was being revived and the "combustion engine" was also making an appearance powering fire engines. After the turn of the century developments of equipment and appliances continued and brigades were becoming more organised.