James Braidwood
James Braidwood (1800-1861) was a Scottish firefighter who founded one of the world’s first municipal fire service in Edinburgh in 1824. He was the first director of the London Fire Engine Establishment (the brigade which was eventually to become the London Fire Brigade). He is credited with the development of the modern municipal fire service. He was educated at the Royal High School. He learned about the construction of buildings after joining his father’s building firm as an apprentice, knowledge he was later to put to good use. Appointed Master of Fire Engines at the age of 24, two months prior to the Great Fire of Edinburgh, Braidwood established principles of fire-fighting that are still applied today.
