THE hard-pressed firefighters of the North-East might raise a wry smile when they learn that their predecessors really were slaves to the public.

This is just one of the fascinating facts unearthed by County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Brigade's first historian and archivist, Craig Godwin, who explains that the ancient Romans had an all-slave fire service in 300BC.

Just days into his new role, Mr Godwin, of Consett, County Durham, has found himself stumbling across valuable photographs, old helmets and other memorabilia hidden in drawers and thrown in corners of fire stations across the county.

Mr Godwin's passion began with his father, who was a member of a tyre factory fire service for 20 years.

"I remember we had a great fire alarm bell in our house. My dad always joked that his family slept through every alarm, but I've been interested ever since.

"Some people think that being so interested is sick, but it is the mechanics of firefighting that interest me, not fire engine chasing as such. It's how they get the job done and how the equipment has developed from the flimsiest gear imaginable to what we have now.

"I would have loved to be a fireman, but I have such poor eyesight in one eye it was impossible. To be taken on by the brigade in any capacity is a great honour for me."

Mr Godwin, who will receive no payment for his work, allows himself a moment to reflect just how the modern fire service (County Durham is one of the last to keep the title brigade) came to be.

In days gone by, insurance companies would charge extortionate rates to put out fires, and rival insurance brigades would sometimes come to blows over whose fire it was to extinguish. Often they would get steaming drunk at taverns which provided barrels of water along with free ale.

The first truly modern fire brigade was formed in Edinburgh in 1824, but the people of County Durham did not get their own brigade to serve the whole county as one until 1948.

Mr Godwin, a deputy manager at a home for elderly and mentally ill people in Consett, has discovered a treasure trove of artefacts after just a few days in the job.

"I picked up an old paper on the floor in one station and found an old history book I've spent years looking for.

"Other stuff is in corners, drawers, various museums, people's homes and so on. It's going to be some job to get on top of it."

l Anyone who can help Mr Godwin in his quest to catalogue the history of the County Durham brigade is asked to contact the county's headquarters, in Durham City, on 0191-384 3381.