A fire-fighting event was an unofficial sport at 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Competitions were held for both professional and volunteer firefighters. While the fire fighting event is not considered by the International Olympic Committee as an Olympic event, the report of the 1900 Games, prepared by A. G. Spalding, devotes many pages to the competition.
The international competition (which France chose not to compete) included teams of both professional and volunteer firefighters. The teams were required to extinguish a fire and perform a rescue.
The instructions were (in French) "Le feu s'est déclaré au 3e étage d'une maison d'habitation à six étages; le 4e étage et les escaliers des parties hautes sont impraticables. Des personnes sont à sauver aux 5e et 6e étages Opérer les sauvetages et l'extinction", which roughly translated is "The fire started on the 3rd floor of a house six floors; 4th floors and stairs the upper parts are impassable. People are saving the 5th and 6th floors. Operate rescue and extinction."
Out of the three teams made up of volunteers - England (Lyton), Hungary (Buda-Pesth) and Portugal (Oporto) - the winning team was Oporto from Portugal, followed by Lyton and then Buda-Pesth.
There were just two professional teams - Italy (Milan) and United States (Kansas City) - won by Kansas City of the USA and "its famous engine and hook and ladder company No.1."
- Demonstration Sports and Events at Paris 1900
- Full list of all Demonstration Sports
- Life saving at the 1900 Olympics