Firefighters in Amsterdam, Holland, 1690

Firefighters in Amsterdam, Holland, 1690. Engraving by Jan van der Heiden, first published 1690, of the Stad House (City Hall), the Dam, the New Church, the Weighting-House, and the Old Church Tower. New fire engines are in use; instead of buckets, pressure hoses shoot water up to even the highest building. From 'Beschryving der nieuwlyks uitgevonden en geotrojeerde slang-brand-spuiten en haare wyze van brand-blussen' ('Fire engines with hoses and methods of fighting fires') by van der Heiden and his son Jan, (Amsterdam, 1735). Father and son were designers and manufacturers of Europe's best fire fighting equipment and Fire-Masters General of Amsterdam. The book is the most important source of technical information for firefighting in the 17th and 18th century. ©SSPL/Science Museum