1928: The Three Kitten Mascots of the Kraft-Phenix Cheese Factory in Tribeca » Smoke Eaters
The men of the New York Fire Department Rescue Squad were called smoke eaters because of the smoke helmets that they used. Smoke helmets were fire resistant (to a degree), and were, in many cases, made by the same companies that made diving helmets, such as Siebe Gorman. An air supply was fed into the helmet via a long tube connected to a billow that another man would pump with his foot. A tag gives directions for how many tugs on a safety rope, means what. Made of leather, wood, steel and aluminum, it was operated by pushing on a pedal, on one end.
Fireman with smoke helmet
