History and Traditions

This past summer I had the chance to attend a class called “Pride and Ownership” taught by Chief Rick Lasky of Lewisville, Texas.  I am sure many of you have heard of it and if you get the chance, I recommend attending.  It’s a great class centered on building pride and tradition in your department.  The history and tradition of the fire service is one of the greatest assets of this job and Chief Lasky talks a great deal about these aspects of the fire service during this class.

As members of the fire service family it is our responsibility to take what we have learned and pass it on the next generation.  We have the ability to take a look back at all the great and tragic events that have happened over the past years and learn from them.  If we don’t pass the information along, who will?  10 years ago, the FDNY lost nearly 4400 combined years of service when the towers came down.  So much knowledge and information was lost on that day.  This post will be focused on a piece of history and tradition of the fire service.  Many of us wear the Maltese cross on our uniforms every day but do we know the meaning and history behind it?

The Maltese cross is named after the island of Malta which was the home of the Knights of St John.  The Knights of St John wore the Cross of Calvary (later to be known as the Maltese cross) on their armor so they could recognize one another during battle.  How does this tie into the fire service?  During the crusades it was not uncommon for armies to use fire as a weapon.  The Knights of St John were known for risking their own lives to save another knight or extinguish a fire.  They were also known as Hospitallers because they were known for their care of the sick and wounded.  The Knights of St John are considered by most as the first firefighters.  Combining the fact that they took great care of the sick and wounded and with the great pride and honor they took in their work, the Maltese cross became a very fitting symbol for the fire service.  I am sure that many of you have heard this story before.  It is widely known throughout the fire where the Maltese cross originated but let me take it a step further.  Who was the first fire department to use the Maltese cross as their symbol?  The FDNY adopted the Maltese cross in 1865.  In 1882 Brooklyn changed their badges from a four-leaf clover to the Maltese cross.  We will talk about the four-leaf clover and its ties to the fire service in greater detail in a future installment. 

It is important to understand the history and tradition of the fire service.  Think of this quote by Charles Williams “In order to move forward into the future, you need to know where you’ve been.”  He couldn’t have said it any better.  This is our fire service and our fire department and it is up to us move it forward into the future.  In order to do so we need to know where we came from and the history behind why we do the things we do.  When someone asks you why we wear the Maltese cross or why we strike the 4 5’s at a funeral it is not acceptable to reply “because that’s what we have always done.”  I love the history and tradition of the fire service.  They are a couple of the characteristics of this job that makes it so great.  We are the shepherds of this fire department and ultimately we will determine its path in the future, but to truly guide this department forward, we have to embrace our history and tradition and take it with us.   Part of our job as a firefighter is take what we have learned and pass it on to the next guy. 

Stay safe!!