Vigiles

In the Roman Empire there was fire departments as a public- communal organization until about the first decade before Christ.

• 2.1 Police and legal tasks
• 2.2 Methods of Fire Fighting

History

The beginnings

In the Roman Republic there was initially no fire department. The fire-fighting was indeed carried out by the night watchmen, called triumviri nocturni; those, however, were already more concerned with security tasks. Politically, the fire safety fell into the field of the aediles. It was, however, the disadvantage that, according to the Annuitätsprinzip each aedile only one year his office knew what an effective organization of the firefighting difficult drastically.

The ever- sprouting metropolis of Rome, however, was always prone to devastating fires, which was mainly due to the thousands of insulae, multi-storey apartment houses for the lower layers, since those were mostly built more bad than good (see Juvenal, Saturae 3, 197 -222; Vitruvius, De architectura II 8.20, 9.16 ). Therefore, private fire brigades were formed by wealthy Romans. This, however, could never enjoy a greater popularity, as some realms sought their fortune through these services to increase even more: After a fire breaks out, they demanded in return for use next to nothing from the homeowner to sell the house. If he refused, so firefighters pulled again empty-handed. Crassus, for example, had his private fire brigade in strength of 500 men only march out and delete, if the homeowner the burning or threatened by neighboring fire houses these at ridiculously low prices sold to him ( Plutarch, Crassus 2, 4).

The first public municipal fire department

On the problem of population explosion also joined the problem of arson by a broker for the purpose of land acquisition. Given this scandalous business practices demanded the Roman people clamoring for a solution. The populist active, ambitious aedile Marcus Egnatius Rufus recognized in the 20s BC the political value of this topic (see Velleius Paterculus, Historia Romana II, 91, 3-5). He trained own slaves a fire department and put them in fire cases free of charge. The citizens were thrilled and thanked him with the election of the praetor.

This in turn employed the recently elected princeps Augustus, who wanted to prevent future could be continued to be beaten out of town security against him competing political capital ( cf. Dio Cassius, Historia Romana LIII 24, 4f, . 54, 2, 4). This also was not a major fire in 23 BC In response Augustus formed a fire brigade of 600 slaves, then put the issue but for the time being shelved. It required a new large fire in 6 BC to make him the issue and the need for a reorganization of the fire fighters will be clear ( Suetonius, Augustus 30, 1; Dio Cassius, Historia Romana LV 26, 4f. ).

Augustus now established the organization of vigiles (literally "guardian " ), consisting of 3,500 ( later in the 2nd century. 7,000 from ) freed slaves. This troop was organized along military lines: The unit was divided into seven cohorts each with a tribune. Each of the cohorts was responsible for two districts. The High Command was transferred to a derived from the equestrian praefectus vigilum. Your accommodation happened in stationes and excubitoria ( Dio Cassius lvii 19.6; Suetonius, Tiberius 37.1, Claudius 18.1 ). Later, the fire stations own barracks were even provided to the property. Thus the Roman fire brigade was born, and in this form it existed for centuries on.

Presented for the port at Ostia Emperor Claudius in 50 AD. a fire on troops with 700 men. The barracks was excavated end of the 19th century. A part of this force was later moved to Naples.

Work and tasks of the vigiles

Police and legal tasks

At the top stood in the tasks of course, the active fire fighting. The fire watchman patrolled - even at night ( Seneca, Epist mor 64, 1. ) - Through their districts, looked for possible sources of fire and were searching for violations against the imperial fire regulations (which were always detailed and more numerous with time). Later, she even took over the hunt for arsonists of the city guards, and from Trajan led the Prefect vigilum at corresponding thereto processes in the chair.

The vigiles more and more police duties later fell (cf. Dio Cassius LVIII 9; Tacitus, Historiae III 64 69). How could they use in riots as a security and in an absolute emergency even as a fighting force, the Roman prefect ( praefectus urbi ). Also in court were the Prefect vigilum the chairmanship of arson processes ( digesta Iustiniani 1,15,3; 47,2,58,1, 12,6,5 ), but also increasingly extensive distant objects, as the citizens, increasingly, faces with unrelated applications, for example in trading permits, at him.

In the crisis of the 3rd century the vigiles were also used more frequently for military interventions outside of Rome.

Methods of fire fighting

In the active fire fighting, in which the vigiles based on their own official authority ( suo jure, as Petronius, Satyricon 78.7 ) were allowed to penetrate into the private homes, they used many pieces of equipment that are still in use today, such as:

• Syringes ( siphones ); using water pressure pumps and fire engines ( siphones; . cf. Pliny, Epist 10,33,2, Isidore of Seville, Origen 20,6,9 ) with cone-shaped radiant tubes was a water spray Second of 25-29 meters distance. An example of such a fire service pipe from the German space can be viewed in the LVR- Landesmuseum Bonn.
• Bucket ( hamae; Juvenal 14, 305f. )
• Conductors ( Scalae; digesta Iustiniani 33,9,3,3 ),
• Axes and hatchets ( dolabra; digesta Iustiniani 1,15,3,3 )
• Saws ( Secure's; Petronius, Satyricon 78.6 ),
• Pike ( perticae; digesta Iustiniani 33,7,12 )
• Hammers ( mallei )
• Rods,
• Ceiling ( strata ), rags or blankets Fire beaters ( centones; soaked with water or vinegar to protect the neighboring houses),
• Baskets,
• Broom.

The vigiles itself had different areas of responsibility. There were water carriers for Eimerstaffetten ( Aquarii ), Syringe people ( siphonarii ), others took care of the use of the (usually with vinegar -soaked ) Fire Blankets ( centones ), to light the place of use.

In case of fire, the guards formed together with the local residents bucket brigade, which began at the fountain in Rome everywhere applied. Nero ordered that every house in the atrium fire extinguishers to be available to have ( Tacitus, Annales XV 43, 4). Got the fire out of control, have been evacuated bystanders and buildings demolished as soon as possible to prevent a conflagration.

Fire departments outside of Rome

A prepared by the State Fire there was next to Rome in Constantinople Opel ( after it had become the second capital ) and in the ports of Naples and Ostia, who were as supply ports for the population of great strategic importance. All other communities had to provide its own fire brigade on the legs.

Often assumed in these communities local guilds firefighters called collegiati. In addition, the city leaders organized every now and then time fire brigades, for example droughts. But most of the residents were forced to fight with the neighbors fires. Proven to such clubs in Northern Italy, as in Como, Verona or Faventia, in Veneto ( Aquileia and Tergeste ) and Istria were ( Siscia ). But even in Noricum and Pannonia find such units. Employees of these groups were fabri subaediani, those craftsmen who were able to deal with axes, saws or pliers. The centonarii were carpet dealers, with the Fire beaters, which they watered with water or vinegar, fought the fire. The utriculari brought the water to the hoses. Although they were tightly organized military, you can compare them with today's volunteer fire departments, as they also practiced their profession in addition to fire protection. Members could be just like slaves, both citizens, freedmen. Also, women were members of these groups. Are documented, for example, the collegiati in Virunum in today's Carinthia, where the ratio of men to women was 10:9.

As Pliny the Younger because of numerous defects after a major fire in Nicomedia in the year 100 stimulated the creation of a professional fire-fighters with at least 150 men, those rejected by the Emperor Trajan for fear of rioting uncertain elements ( Pliny, Epist. X, 33f. ) Was. Obviously, the camaraderie among the fire fighters was an important, difficult to be influenced from the outside and therefore uncomfortable regional or local political variable for the political leaders.

From Flavia Solva was found records about come from the years around 200, according to which the members of the fire department were freed by Emperor Septimius Severus by decree of the taxes.