The badge of a firefighter is the
Maltese Cross. The Maltese Cross is a symbol of
protection, a badge of honor, and its story is hundreds
of years old. When a courageous band of crusaders, known
as the Knights of Saint John, fought the Caracens for
possession of the Holy Land, they were faced with a new
weapon not known to European fighters. It was a simple
but horrible device of ware. The Saracens' weapon was
fire.
As the crusaders advanced on the
walls of the city, they were bombarded with glass bombs
containing naphtha. When they were saturated with the
liquid, the Saracens threw flaming torches into the
crusaders. Hundreds of knights were burned alive while
others risked their lives in an effort to save their
kinsmen from painful fiery deaths. Thus, these men became
the first firemen, and the first of a long line of
firefighters. Their heroic efforts were recognized by
fellow crusaders who awarded each other with a badge of
honor similar to the cross firefighters wear today.
Since the Knights of Saint John lived
for close to four centuries on the island of Malta, in
the Mediterranean Sea, the cross came to be known as the
Maltese Cross. The Maltese Cross is your symbol of
protection. It means that the firefighter that wears this
cross is willing to lay down his life for you, just as
the crusaders sacrificed their lives for their fellow man
so many years ago. The Maltese Cross is a firefighter's
badge of honor, signifying that he works in courage - a
ladder rung away from death.
