The development of efficient pumps
and the steam engine from the late 18th century onward allowed the
development of mobile and effective fire engines. Initially, there
nothing more than the lever-operated hand-pumps, where human force had
been replaced by steam power. Gradually a distinctive pattern developed
in order to meet a number of specific challenges: steam had to be
raised in the few minutes time between the emergency call and the
engine arriving at the scene; the fire tubes of the boiler had to stay
submerged during the journey on uneven or inclined roads.
