Editing Firefighting (section)

===United States===
In January 1608, a fire destroyed many colonists' provisions and lodgings in [[Jamestown, Virginia]]. By the mid-1600s, [[Boston]], [[New Amsterdam]] (later [[New York City]]), and [[Philadelphia]] were all plagued by fires, and volunteer fire brigades began to form.<ref name="firehistory.org">{{cite web|url=http://firehistory.org/?p=130|title=Fire History - A Historical Repository for the Fire Service of the United States of America|work=Fire History|access-date=21 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117181554/http://firehistory.org/?p=130|archive-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>
[[File:USS Forrestal explosion 29 July 1967.jpg|thumb|Firefighters onboard the USS Forrestal in 1967.]]
In 1736, [[Benjamin Franklin]] founded the [[Union Fire Company]] in Philadelphia, which became the standard for volunteer fire organizations. These firefighters had two critical tools: salvage bags and so-called bed keys. Salvage bags were used to quickly collect and save valuables, and bed keys were used to separate the wooden frame of a bed (often the most valuable item in a home at the time) into pieces for safe and rapid removal from the fire.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://lishfd.org/History/firefighting_in_colonial_america.htm|title = Firefighting in Colonial America|last = Hashagan|first = Paul|publisher = [[KSFFA]]|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171008211147/http://lishfd.org/History/firefighting_in_colonial_america.htm|archive-date = 2017-10-08}}</ref>

The first American attempt at fire insurance failed after a large fire in [[Charlestown, Massachusetts]] in 1736. Later in 1740, Benjamin Franklin organized the [[Philadelphia Contributionship]] to provide fire insurance, which was more successful. The Contributionship adopted "fire marks" to easily identify insured buildings. Firefighting started to become formalized with rules for providing buckets, ladders, and hooks, and with the formation of volunteer companies. A chain of command was also established.<ref name="firehistory.org" />