Are You a Fire Buff?
You might remember your excitement as a child when you heard the approaching sirens of a fire crew on their way to assist someone in trouble. You felt the rumble on the sidewalk as the big rig passed by and a great pride for the members of that crew who were ready to lay it all on the line when they arrived at whatever terrible situation demanded their assistance.
Well, some of us have never outgrown those feelings and we enjoy learning more about firefighting and those modern day heroes who rush towards danger as the rest of us flee from it. We are proud to call ourselves Fire Buffs.
What Is A Fire Buff?
In general terms, a "buff" is defined as anyone with an intense interest in virtually any subject. There are sports buffs, jazz buffs, antique auto buffs - and fire buffs.
The very word "buff "in fact has a fire service-related origin. More than a century ago as the legend goes, well-heeled civilian supporters of the New York City Fire Department would attend extra-alarm blazes regardless of time or temperature. Standing on the sidewalk watching their helmeted heroes hard at work, these well-to-do citizens were conspicuous in their (expensive) buffalo-hide robes or coats. Hence their nickname "the buffaloes"-- inevitably short-formed to "buffs".
Looking deeper into the subject these men formed the core of auxiliary fire departments during World War II, when regular departments suffered draft gaps. In New York City, various buff clubs furnished most of the auxiliary personnel to man the fire alarm telegraph bureau. Overseas, Army, Navy and Marine fire departments were run by buffs, and a good many were cited for excellent duty. Even in peacetime, the Kansas City (Mo.) department, for example, has been forced to send out SOS calls for buff assistance, when strained to the limit by multiple coincident alarms.
A fire buff, therefore, is a person with an all-consuming interest in the fire service. Mostly civilians, they are ardent admirers and enthusiastic supporters of all firefighters and the job they do. More than a few firefighters are also avid fire buffs in their off-duty hours.
"Fires to us are not mere spectacles" Baltimore fire buff Karl Detzer wrote many years ago. "They are demonstrations of strategy and tactics, for behind the apparent confusion at any working fire there is generalship. A real buff can tell at a glance just how the battle lines are drawn. The placement of hose lines and ladders, the use of high-pressure turrets and water towers, the location of windows being smashed with axes - all these are clues as to what kind of fire it is, where it is centered and how the job of extinguishing the blaze is progressing"
Fire buffing has, in many respects, the same connotations as sports fans supporting their local teams whether it be baseball, football or hockey. Fire buffs are basically eager students of the science of fire fighting with a parallel interest in a host of other activities designed to aid and promote their local fire department.
Contrary to popular perception that the average fire buff is a small boy who never grew up, George Washington not only chased a goodly number of fires in his day, but also donated a hand-drawn hose cart to the volunteer department of Mount Vernon. Benjamin Franklin was a familiar figure in early Philadelphia firefighting. United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is remembered as a buff in Boston. New York City Mayor Florello H. LaGuardia. Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler and World War II British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill are all gentlemen that we take pride in numbering among our companions and whose motives or sanity has never been questioned. Not to be outdone, the female "engine chasers" are represented by no less than Mrs. [Harry] Truman.
Buffing knows no social or class distinction. Doctors, lawyers, bakers, factory workers, grocery clerks and Wall Street financiers all answer the call of bell or siren.
It is impossible to say how many buffs there are in existence today, and almost as difficult to find a community without one. There is a little buff in everyone-- who doesn't rush to the windows to see the fire engines whistling past?
Fire buffs' interests are as varied as the individuals themselves. In addition to championing their local fire departments and firefighters everywhere, some fire buffs specialize in: compiling fire department histories; taking and collecting fire apparatus photos; building and collecting model and toy fire engines; monitoring area fire frequencies and responding to extra-alarm fires; and, collecting and trading uniform shoulder flashes and patches. Every true fire buff's dream, of course, is to one day own his or her own fire engine - a dream that is realized these days with remarkable frequency.
The pinnacle of success for a buff was achieved by Dr. Harry M. Archer, when he was appointed 2nd deputy fire commissioner of New York City. Dr. Archer is believed to have attended more than 200,000 fires in his 60 years of buffing. When he began his medical career as an intern in the 1890's at Bellevue Hospital, there were no emergency stations at fires to take care of the burned and injured. Dr. Archer, of his own accord and often at his own expense, set up facilities at the scene of many disasters. Nobody called him at first, but he was always there... sometimes ahead of the firemen, and usually ahead of any other doctors.
Just as a medical career can lead to buffing, so can buffing lead directly to a career: in news photography, as a fire insurance agent, as a writer, or possibly as a salesman for a fire equipment manufacturer. One well-known writer-buff for the past twenty years has gathered most of the material for his articles and books from on-the-spot observations. Some of the finest fire equipment salesmen have reached the top because they know their products from watching them in actual operation for years.
In many U.S. and Canadian cities, local fire buff clubs operate mobile canteen services for fire and other emergency services, and actively participate in fire prevention and fire service educational activities.
Canada's largest and most active fire buff organization is the Ontario Fire Buff Associates. Founded in 1971, the OFBA has active members from coast to coast across Canada and in the U.S. and overseas. Toronto boasts two active fire buff clubs - the Box 12 Association founded in 1949, and the Greater Toronto Multiple Alarm Association. Other Canadian fire buffs groups include the Box 43 Association of Hamilton; the Regional Niagara Fire Buffs and Kitchener's Box 690.
The umbrella organization for the more than 50 fire buff organizations in Canada, the United States and overseas is the International Fire Buff Associates, Inc. The IFBA held its first meeting In Toronto in 1953.
"Watching your fire department control and extinguish a fire can only bring admiration and confidence that the fire department has again met the challenge of man's greatest friend - and enemy" - the IFBA's little red Code for Fire Buffing handbook states. "It finally can be said that an interested -- and enlightened -- citizenry becomes the strongest bulwark against unfair criticism of any municipal (fire) department - paid or volunteer".
Nothing can bring blood to the eye of a buff more quickly than being confused with the arsonist of the species... the fire-bug. The socially destructive pyromaniac bears as little resemblance to the intelligent buff as a fly does to a fly swatter. The bug's attention (if he's foolish enough to hang around) is centered on seeing how much damage his "pretty" flames can create.
The buff is interested in seeing how much damage can be avoided and how quickly the flames can be controlled. A buff's hobby impresses him with the destructiveness of fire and keeps him alert to the dangers in his own home and neighborhood, making him an extremely valuable asset to any community.
Further Information:
Regional Niagara Fire Buff Association -
www.rnfba.com
International Fire Buff Association -
www.ifba.org
Ontario Fire Buff Association -
www.ofba.ca
Box 43 Association of Hamilton -
www.firemuseumcanada.com
Greater Tornto Multiple Alarm Association -
www.gtmaa.com
Prepared using excerpts from an article by:
Walt McCall, Windsor Fire Buff, Member - OFBA/IFBA: and,
From "Pictorial History of Firefighting" by Robert W. Masters, revised edition published in 1967 by Castle Books, New York