The present publication is the first comprehensive monograph on the historical development of fire and firefighting
services in the territory of former Czechoslovakia, from the earliest times until now. The book begins with a treatise on the
importance of fire to mankind and human attempts to control fire in the period of antiquity. Subsequently, the readers will
familiarize themselves with the first legislation regulating firefighting in the Middle Ages and the establishment of fire brigades in
the XIX century. The author then presents voluntary and professional fire service in Czechoslovakia as well as in the independent
Czech and Slovak Republics. The monograph is suitably accompanied by a large number of photographs, memories of
contemporaries and period materials, which have not yet been published in the available literature. Based on his long-term
research, the author managed to clarify the historical development of firefighting, but also, for example, the firefighting equipment
in the territory of former Czechoslovakia.
