1736

Benjamin Franklin creates the Union Fire Company (first volunteer fire department). Prior to this, citizens bought into “Fire Clubs” where citizens had to buy into the service. To gather the 30 volunteer firemen, Franklin wrote in the local newspaper: “An ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure”.

 

Benjamin Franklin, The Fireman (1850)
Painting by Charles Washington Wright (1824-1869)

Original on display at The Smithsonian
National Museum of American History

1879

Henry S. Parmelee patented the automatic fire sprinkler.

Be it known that I, HENRY S. PARMELEE, of the city and county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Fire- Extinguishers; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

  • H.S. Parmelee
 

1881

Almon M. Granger patents the first soda-acid extinguisher in the United States. It consisted of sodium bicarbonate and sulfuric acid and ejected pressurized water onto a fire.

1881

1885

Frederick Grinnell’s patented “bellows” differential dry pipe valve is offered for sale.

1881

1890

Francis Robbins Upton and Fernando Dibble, working alongside Thomas Edison, invent the first automatic electric fire alarm.

1881

1917

The Walter Kidde Company is founded in New Jersey by Walter Kidde himself. Kidde develops the use of carbon dioxide for suppression of large fires to be used onboard ships.

1881

1918

The first integrated smoke detection and carbon dioxide extinguishing system for use onboard ships is produced.

1919

Herbert S. Hiller is founded in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1925

The first built-in industrial fire extinguishing systems are installed.

1928

DuGas introduces a cartridge-operated dry chemical extinguisher, which consisted of a copper cylinder with an internal CO2 cartridge. The operator turned a wheel valve on top to puncture the cartridge and squeezed a lever on the valve at the end of the hose to discharge the chemical.

1939

Ansul purchases DuGas, a small struggling manufacturer of dry chemical fire protection equipment. The DuGas brand is predecessor to today’s RED LINE.

1946

Jack Cocke and Company opens in Mobile, Alabama and expands with offices in Pensacola, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana.

1958

Chemtron Corporation introduces high-pressure CO2.

1960s

Halon 1301 Systems are introduced to the market.

1970

The Hiller Companies purchases Schubert Offshore in Texas, Florida and Louisiana.

1981

Hiller Companies purchases Jack Cocke and Company.

1985

The Hiller Companies expands with a new office in the Chesapeake, Virginia area.

1987

The Montreal Protocol phases out ozone-depleting substances like Halon 1301.

1990s

Kidde introduces FM-200, an alternative to ozone-depleting products like Halon 1301.

1990

Securiplex patents its water mist fire protection system, which uses water and air to generate a fine water droplet that is highly effective in suppressing fires quickly and with minimal business interruption.

1996

The Hiller Company expands with a branch office in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

2003

The Hiller Companies expands with a new division, Hiller Offshore, concentrating on the Gulf of Mexico offshore oil business in Houston, Texas and Broussard, Louisiana.

2003

3M patents 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid, an environmentally safe alternative to Halon 1301.

2006

The Hiller Companies expands with a new office in Charleston, South Carolina.

2010

The Hiller Companies expands with a new office in the Birmingham, Alabama area.

2012

The Hiller Companies is purchased by Pon, a service-driven company based in the Netherlands.

2014

The Hiller Companies expands with new offices in Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Timeline content for illustrative purposes only. Trademarks and patents, are the intellectual property of their respective companies and any misuse or misattribution is not intentional.