Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first Roman fire brigade was created by Marcus Licinius Crassus, a private citizen who assembled a 500-man force. Crassus would arrive at burning buildings and offer to buy the property at a low price before his men would act, profiting from the absence of any public fire department. Emperor Nero later established the Corps of Vigils in 60 A.D. with 7,000 members after a disastrous fire.
Benjamin Franklin founded the Union Fire Company in Philadelphia in 1736. The company became the standard for volunteer fire organizations in America and introduced salvage bags and bed keys as critical tools for saving property during fires.
Firefighters carry self-contained breathing apparatus filled with compressed air, not oxygen, because oxygen is a powerful fire accelerant that would represent a grave risk when combined with combustible materials in a fire environment. These tanks typically hold 30 to 45 minutes of air depending on tank size and the rate of consumption during strenuous activity.
The 3D attack is a strategy for fighting closed-volume fires in which the smoke in the upper atmosphere is cooled before the fire's seat is directly attacked. It was adapted by London Fire Officer Paul Grimwood after a decade of operational use in the West End of London between 1984 and 1994, building on an original strategy of Swedish origin developed by Mats Rosander and Krister Giselsson.
Fire debris cleanup workers face exposure to silica dust from concrete and roofing tiles, which can cause silicosis and lung cancer; asbestos, which can lead to mesothelioma; and metals such as cadmium, chromium, cobalt, and lead from burned electronics and appliances. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons from incomplete combustion, which are carcinogenic, are also commonly found in structural and wildland fire debris.
Tactical ventilation involves either venting or isolating a fire to control its burning regime and gain tactical advantage during interior firefighting. Paul Grimwood introduced the concept in the 1980s, and it was formally adopted by UK fire services and incorporated into Home Office training manuals in 1996-97. In practice, openings such as a 4-by-4-foot cut in a roof directly over the fire room allow hot smoke and gases to escape while firefighters attack from below.