The history of fire brigades in the United Kingdom is complex due to many re-organisations having taken place.
The first fire engines and crews were provided by voluntary bodies, parish authorities or insurance companies. James Braidwood founded the world's first municipal fire service in Edinburgh in 1824. A 7-foot-tall (2.1 m) bronze statue of Braidwood, located in Parliament Square in Edinburgh, commemorates his achievements. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade was created by statute in 1866. In the decades that followed the new local government bodies created by 19th century legislation took over responsibility for fire-fighting.
The fire service was nationalised in 1941, but returned to local authority control in 1948. Since then there has been a gradual process of amalgamations so that the number of brigades has decreased greatly.
Read more about History Of Fire Brigades In The United Kingdom: Naming of Brigades, Fire Brigades in England and Wales, Fire Brigades in Northern Ireland
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