Blazing a trail across the ages

The vehicle dates back to 1806 and belonged to James Braidwood, who founded the Edinburgh Fire Brigade before going on to become known around the world as the "Father of Firefighting".

Braidwood established the brigade in 1824 and almost immediately helped earn its spurs during the Great Fire of Edinburgh that same year.

Some 400 homes were destroyed after a blaze broke out in a printer's shop in the High Street, raging for three days and killing 13 people, including two recruits.

A child was among those who died, crushed under the wheels of a fire tender.

The Tron Kirk and offices of The Courant newspaper were two of the buildings to perish in the blaze, which started on November 15 at Kirkwood's Workshop at the head of Old Assembly Close.

Braidwood was just 24 years old at the time, but while mistakes were admitted, lessons were learned.

He was praised in reports for retrieving two barrels of gun powder from an ironmonger's to prevent an explosion.

Braidwood, the first municipal fire master in the world, later went on to found London Fire Brigade.

He eventually died on the frontline, trapped under a collapsed wall near London Bridge during the great Tooley Street fire of 1861.

The open day is being held at the Museum of Fire in Lauriston Place tomorrow from 10am to 4pm and also tells the story of how firefighters were once required to grow beards which they rolled up into their mouths to act as a filter, earning them the name "smoke eaters".

The event will also see fundraising efforts taking place on behalf of The Fire Fighter's Charity.

Honorary curator of the museum and past assistant firemaster, Ian McMurtrie, said: "The museum is a mine of fantastic historic fire memorabilia."

Artefacts from the services' fledgling operations will be on display, including the 1400s' "cleikes of iron" once used to pull burning thatch from the roof of Edinburgh Castle, along with other vehicles, uniforms and helmets from across the ages.

Horse-drawn, steam-driven, motorised and manual pumps are among the display, while 12 modern tenders will also be on show.

The oldest fire tender on show is the one dating 1806.

The four-man manual hand-pump from Duns was commissioned in 1804 and paid for by public subscription. It took locals two years to save up enough money to purchase the pump at a price of 75 guineas.

The original records in the Brigade Library show the names of contributors and how much they gave to the fund for the machine now known as a "Parish pump".Under the Parish Act of 1708, each parish was responsible for dealing with fires within their boundary.

Although now fitted with canvas hose, originally leather riveted hose would have been used, a length of which is in the pump.

This pump was found dilapidated in a farmer's barn and brought to Edinburgh for restoration.