The Extra Alarm Fire Association (EAFA) is a fire buff group located in Cincinnati Ohio. The main focus of our activity is to support the Cincinnati Fire Department and its firefighters. We also volunteer at and support the operation of the Cincinnati Fire Museum.
The EAFA was organized on October 26, 1946. We have an active membership roster limited to 20 members who are over the age of 21. Our members come from many different backgrounds but the one thing we all have in common is a genuine interest in the Fire Service.
Our meetings are usually held in the evening
on the first Friday of the month at the Cincinnati Fire Museum. Guests
are welcome but are requested to E-Mail or call in advance of the meeting.
Fire buffing is an old and honorable advocation. Legend has it that the name buff comes from the buffalo robes worn in the winter by volunteers in New York city in the 1700's. The term was later applied to the regular spectators at fires back in the early 1800's. These spectators offered encouragement to the firefighters and helped spur on their efforts. They began to offer refreshments and comfort to the firefighters. Even today, a number of buff clubs operate a canteen service truck for firefighters.
There are many organized buff clubs across the United States and in Canada. About 85 of them (including the Extra Alarm Fire Association) belong to and follow the guidelines and ethics of the International Fire Buffs Association (I.F.B.A.) which was founded in 1953. The I.F.B.A. holds regional conventions and a national convention bringing the members of these independent organizations together to share their experiences and the comradeship of a common interest.
It should be noted that most of the estimated more than 50,000 fire buffs in the United States do not belong to any organized group or club. Over the years, a few of the more famous buffs have been people like; Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia of N.Y.City, and Arthur Fiedler, Conductor of the Boston "Pops" Orchestra. Even today, there are a number of well known people who are staunch fire buffs hidden behind their public image.
Fires to the fire buffs are not mere spectacles of disaster. Behind what appears to be mass confusion at a working fire, is in reality, the application of strategy and tactics designed to bring the fire under control. An experienced buff can tell at a glance, how the battle lines are drawn by the placement of the apparatus, the hose lines, the ladders and the firefighters activities. These are just some of the clues a buff uses to monitor the progress of extinguishing the fire.
Today's buffs are not only students of the
science of fire fighting but have an interest in a host of other activities
that aid and support their local fire departments.