Maltese Cross Fire Dept Meaning
The maltese cross is the very familiar red center circle with four shapes emanating from the center.
Maltese cross fire dept meaning. Each of the 8 has a very distinguished and deep meaning. The maltese cross firefighters. The maltese cross should not be mistaken for the george cross awarded to malta by george vi of the united kingdom in 1942 which is depicted since 1964 on the national flag of malta. John of jerusalem knights hospitallers a charitable non military organization.
This is the story that this symbol of chivalry has to tell and bring to. The maltese cross is a badge of honor signifying that he works in courage a ladders rung away from death. The article appeared in the september 19 1882 issue of the brooklyn eagle. While the firefighter cross s shape most closely resembles the st florian cross it clearly also looks a lot like the maltese cross.
While it s not really there for aesthetic appeal this emblem has a very rich history and it symbolized an elite group of people that have dedicated their lives to serve their everyone in need. In fact while the maltese and st florian crosses are different they have a lot of similarities in meaning. This mean for one to have a gallant appearance an act of marked courtesy spirited and conspicuous. The cross represents the fire service ideals of saving lives and extinguishing fires.
If you take a look at almost any fire apparatus today you re likely to see the maltese cross. It appears both on the clothes of fire fighters and on the apparatus they use. The fire department logo is called the maltese cross. The new one is in the design of a maltese cross the old sixth army corps badge.
The maltese cross has 8 points. In some countries for instance great britain and canada a version with eight points is used. It is often referred to as the maltese cross or st florian cross. Many people ask us what the connection is between the fire service and that maltese cross.
Viewed 1025 times the insignia of the fire service is the cross pattee nowy otherwise known as the maltese cross. The philadelphia fire department among others incorporates the firefighter s cross into its insignia as does the international association of fire fighters. The present badge is of nickel and in the form of a four leaf clover. The 1 st point of the cross stands for gallantry.