Changes

By the 1920s and 1930s, equipment for firefighting began to become more standardized in countries. Firefighting had developed into a full profession with many cities by now developing their own fire departments. In addition to greater central organization either run by cities, municipalities, or even higher levels of government, fire departments mostly changed in the 20th century as a large number of technologies developed. In the 19th century, water was still brought largely by horse, sometimes by train or boat, to fires. Pump technologies improved in the 19th century, including suction engines, but delivery of water was still not well developed. Only the early 20th century did motorized vehicles began carrying the primary firefighting equipment, leading to the fire engine with the Know Automobile Company often being credited with creating the first modern engine. The innovation of airplanes led to shortly after the use of aircraft to scout and in some cases directly aid in firefighting. For fire engines, the aerial platform developed by the time of World War II, which shaped fire trucks to their modern design. Throughout the post-World War II era saw improvements in firefighting equipment, including in masks and use of fire retardant that enabled firefighting to be improved.<ref>For more on modern fire departments and equipment, see: Wallington, N. (2008). One hundred years of the British fire engine. Huddersfield: Jeremy Mills Pub.</ref>