General Directorate of Civil Defence - Ministry of the Interior

In 1928, Manama Municipality endorsed a proposal made by the Bahrain government’s counselor to install big bells in Manama in order to sound an alarm in case of a fire. It was conceived to be softer tool rather than the horrific sound of rifles.

On the 2nd of Ramadan, 1355 0f Hijrah, corresponding to 1936, a huge blaze broke out in Manama market and continued for few days. At that time, neither the municipality nor else directorate had any firefighting equipments and fire engines to control such fire. Therefore, the municipality made a plan to establish a fire squad according to a proposition made by the Municipality counsel’s member Shaikh Ishaq Abdul Rahman Al-Khan who suggested that the purchase of a fully equipped fire truck and to train the firefighters. In addition to that, a special pipe to be installed in each water well to maintain water supply to the truck. Such initial preparations had paved the way to the establishment of special firefighting team so called as “ The Firefighting Crew “.

In the outset of 1938, the municipality firefighting department was established and equipped with a fire engine donated by H.H. Shaikh Hamad bin Isa bin Ali Al-Khalifa, ( May his soul rest in peace ). The government ordered another truck in 1940, the municipality bought another truck and exported a third one from Europe post World War II in order to support the firefighting squad with up to date truck, engine and equipment.

Early in 1957, the municipality received the most modern and well equipped truck as a gift from H.H. Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa ( May his soul rest in peace ). The government ordered another truck in 1959 to be added to the convoy of the firefighting trucks own by the municipality.

The earliest fire stations built by the municipality in the 1960s, include the one located near Khadija Al-Kubra girl’s school, in the old Manama garage at Hoora, a central area in the capital Manama.