Figure 1.--Here we see boys associated with the Keystone Fire Company, somewhere in Pennsylvania. This photograph would probably have been taken some time after the turn of the 20th century. I do not know to what extent formal youth associations were organized by fire companies. The photograph suggests there was some kind of formal association with the Keystone Fire Company.

Many Colonial towns consisted mostly of wooden buildings. Thus fire was an ever present danger. Boston like other colonial towns had been devestated by fire. Boston had devestating fires in 1653 and 1676. The city after the fire of 1676 purchased a London pumper. Thomas Atkins and 12 other men were hired as fire fighters becoming the first real firefighters in the United States. To suport this small force, citizens in variouus neigborhoods formed Mutual Fire Societies. These became not only auxiliers ro the professional fire fighters, but important fraternal social organizations. A historian notes, “The Mutual Fire Societies became social as well as protective associations, setting a pattern for organized volunteer firefighting groups, which would one day be the backbone of firefighting in America and would dominate it for a century and a half.” [Smith] Benjamin Franklin when he came to Philadelphia from Boston was familiar with measures Boston had taken. Philadelphia experienced a severe fire in 1730 and again in 1736. Franklin helped found the first volunteer fire brigade in Philadelphia. It began operating in 1736. From the very beginning boys showed an interest in fire pumpers and even more so when they got larger and louder in the 19th century. I think that boys associations with fire companies was largely informal, especially as cities began organizing full time professional fire departments. I not sure to what extent youth auxilieries were organized as was rhe case in Germany. Many rural areas can not afford a professional fire deparment like the ones in built-up areas and cities. Thus they organized volunteer fire services. Many of the volunteer services had junior auxilieries. They had a variety of names such as Junior Firemen. The youth auxileries did not normally have uniforms. Professional city fire departments do not normally have these youth auxileries, although I am less sure about earlier historical periods.

Sources

Smith, Dennis. History of Firefighting in America: 300 years (New York: Dial, 1978).