Examples from literature

• Many times the saving of a few minutes by the firemen in reaching a fire means stopping the blaze before it becomes too great. 
• The firemen were racing in and out of the house, bringing out the furniture, as were some of the village boys, and the engine was playing upon the south end, where the kitchen is. 
• The firemen, working like bees, were doing what they could to extinguish the flames and to prevent the fire spreading. 
• This tableau is a representation of a dwelling house on fire, with the heroic firemen engaged in their various duties in their attempts to extinguish the flames. 
• When the firemen reached the place and put down their long ladders they found him standing calmly in his wicker basket, entirely unhurt.