Includes bibliographical references and index

Pt. 1. The context of the modern fire service -- Origins of organized fire service -- Firefighter culture -- Contemporary firefighting -- pt. 2. The fire problem defined -- Great fire in Pittsburgh -- Fire in the built environment -- Fire and human behavior -- Fire in rural areas and wildlands -- pt. 3. The fire service under fire -- Transformative forces to make firefighting safer -- Cultural change needed to improve firefighter safety -- Transitional forces create new fire service model -- pt. 4. Learning to fight great urban fires -- London and the development of a fire service -- Portland and the Board of Fire Underwriters -- Boston and the standardization of fire protection -- pt. 5. Learning to control building fires -- Fire protection in theory -- Deadly fire in a fireproof hotel -- Firefighting, building codes, and technology -- pt. 6. Firefighters, engineers, and underwriters -- New England mills and the factory mutual system -- Fighting fires : from art to science -- Volunteers to paid firemen -- Legacy of the combustible city