The 2013 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records is set to be released, which got us wondering about record-breaking firefighters and fire events. Here’s 10 standout records that caught our eye.
1.Longest journey by a fire engine:
The longest journey by a fire engine is 31,663 miles long and was achieved by Stephen Moore of the UK who started his journey from Greenwich on July 18, 2010 and finished it at the same place, on April 10, 2011. The trip was done to raise money for three different charities in honor of Moore’s father who was a firefighter.
2.Worst fire disaster, damage toll:
The fire following the April 18, 1906, San Francisco earthquake cost an estimated US$350 million at the time, equivalent to a whopping $6.862 in today’s terms.
3.Most vertical distance down a fireman’s pole in one hour by a team of ten:
Most vertical distance down a fireman’s pole in one hour is 17,191 feet by a team of 10 firefighters from the Hove Fire Station in the UK at Goldstone Retail Park in Hove, UK, Aug. 23, 2009. The record attempt was part of a charity fun day.
4.Most steps climbed backwards on a ladder while controlling a football with the feet:
The most steps climbed backwards on a ladder while controlling a football with the feet is 75 and was achieved by Iya Traore in Beijing, China, on July 20, 2011. A fire brigade ladder was used for this record-breaking achievement.
5.Longest wall of fire:
The longest wall of fire measured 10,178.3 feet long and was created by the Marine Corps Community Services during the 2009 Yuma Air Show in Yuma, Arizona on March 14, 2009. Over 37,000 spectators were on hand to witness the attempt during the air show
6.Longest row of fire hoses:
A row of 4,077 firefighters with spraying fire hoses was formed along 10.1 mile stretch of the Mosel river, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, on Sept. 15, 2007 in an event coordinated by the Jugendfeuerwehr Rheinland-Pfalz. The firefighters sprayed the hoses for half an hour using mark ‘c’ hoses to raise funds for a school in Rwanda.
7.Largest parade of fire trucks: The record for the largest parade of fire trucks is over 300 and was achieved by the city of Atoka, Okla. Hundreds of Oklahoma firefighters and some from Texas lined a highway January last year.
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8.Largest firefighting aircraft:
The Evergreen International Aviation Company modified a Boeing 747-300 into a firefighting aircraft. It has a capacity of 20,500 US gallons, more than eight times that of the commonly used P-3A Orion aircraft and is the largest firefighting aircraft in the world. It was first used operationally in July 2009 to fight huge fires in Cuenca, Spain.
9.Largest collection of fire helmets:
The largest collection of fire helmets consists of 838 fire helmets and belongs to Gert Souer in Haren, Netherlands, as of Feb 9, 2012. Soeur is the son and grandson of firefighters and he started his collection in 1976 with a London Fire Brigade helmet. He has been traveling the world collecting helmets ever since.
10.Largest collection of firefighter’s patches:
The largest collection of official firefighter patches is 8,158 and belongs to Bob Brooks of the United States, who has been collecting the patches since 1985.