Firefighting has been a structural part of Houston’s development. “Protection No. 1,” Houston’s first firefighting company, was organized by Augustus Allen in 1838, just two years after the Allen Brothers platted the City of Houston. From 1838 to present day, we see firefighting efforts evolve from Bucket Brigades, to horse-drawn steamers, to the dawn of the automobile and the use of motorized apparatus. In these galleries you can see the city growing, technology changing, and some of the people who have served HFD along the way.