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This dramatised sequence depicts developments in firefighting techniques through the ages. It begins in Alexandria in 250 BC(Before Christ) with Ctesibus who invented the first practical pump. The following scenes depict such later firefighting innovations as the air vessel added to the pump by Hero in 230 BC; the use of bladders filled with water in 1 AD(Anno Domini); buckets in 1300 AD; and the piston engine in 1590 AD.
Curator’s notes
It is a curious choice to illustrate developments in firefighting by dressing members of the NSW Fire Brigade in period costume (including pseudo-Egyptian attire) – but somehow unsurprising given that Hurley had such dramatic flair (see the yodelling hikers in clip one of Treasures of Katoomba, 1936). The whole sequence continues for another three minutes and depicts firefighters in the Great Fire of London, the use of manual fire pumps, the invention of flexible hose, steam fire engines and, finally, contemporary methods of firefighting. Later in the film, the members of the brigade (some still dressed in costume) strike up the band in an unexpected musical sequence!
