The below video, posted on British Pathe, claims to be "quite possibly the first ever footage of the New York Fire Brigade. The film is very grainy but it clearly shows firemen rushing through New York on horse drawn engines. Behind them, you can see some sort of electric powered streetcar or trolley system with 'Clinton Avenue' on the back." After taking a look, we went straight to the experts, specifically, Frank Dwyer at the FDNY, who told us, "As this video shows, the FDNY has been protecting New Yorkers for well over a century. Our equipment and response times have clearly improved since this video was made, but our mission and the dedication of our members remains the same."

For much more current videos of the FDNY in action, you can check out their YouTube page, and for the history buffs, some more of the FDNY's story can be found here." They also post an old photo every week on their Twitter and Facebook page.