Today, we can expect the fire service to send the most modern equipment if we face an emergency in our homes.
But in the past, families would have had to pray and hope for the best if their home or other property came under threat.
A reminder of those distant days can be seen at the Swalcliffe Tithe Barn museum in the village of Swalcliffe, near Banbury.
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One of the exhibits on show is a manually-operated fire pump, which has strong links with Oxford.
It was given by a prominent Swalcliffe villager to the university’s New College in 1760 and there is a sense that it has now ‘come home’.
Manual pumps of this type were first developed in the early 18th century, with the first patented in 1735.
The maker of the New College pump was Adam Nuttall, who started his business in Lambeth, London, in 1751.
The man who gave the pump to the college was William Wykeham, of Swalcliffe, a ‘Gentleman Commoner’, who would probably have studied at the college.
Retired fire officer John Lowe, of Kidlington, who is compiling the history of fires and fire fighting in Oxford, tells me: “When in working order, it would have been a powerful appliance with the ability to pump large quantities of water with a powerful jet exceeding 30 metres.
“It could be ‘got to work’ by four people but required eight, working the double handles on each side of the machine, for maximum performance.
“It pumped water from a lead-lined reservoir in the pump which would have been topped up by buckets. It used leather hoses with brass fittings.
“This fascinating example of 18th-century engineering ingenuity would have been manoeuvred into position by the college fire team.”
Before the formation of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Brigade in the late 19th century, many of the larger organisations and parishes in Oxford were left to make their own arrangements to deal with the threat of fire.
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Many of the university colleges had their own fire teams and equipment.
A survey in 1842 recorded the following fire engines in the city – three belonging to the university, two at Christ Church and one each for the city, county, Sun insurance company, St Mary’s parish, St Michael’s parish, New College, St John’s College, Corpus Christi College, Oriel College and Oxford University Press.
It concluded pessimistically that there were “15 engines in all, some very antiquated, and many of which at the present time have passed away.”
The engine on display at Swalcliffe museum is one of the oldest and largest still in existence in the UK and the only surviving example of the numerous manual fire pumps which existed in the city, before the start of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1870.
Mr Lowe says: “It is perhaps fitting that it has now returned to William Wykeham’s village and is on display there.”
Swalcliffe Tithe Barn, constructed in 1401 for New College, Oxford, is a Grade 1 listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is one of the finest medieval barns in the country.
It is leased to Oxfordshire County Council and is used by the Museum Service to exhibit agricultural and trade vehicles from the county. Entry is free and it is open on Sundays from 2 to 5pm during the warmer months.
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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
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