Seguretat pública, higienisme i benestar social. El procés històric de formació del cos de bombers de Lleida, 1840-1980

This book explains the formation and development of Lleida’s fire brigade, a process that started in the second half of the 19th century until the last quarter of the 20th. It is a research raised from two different but complementary perspectives in order to go deeply into the subject of the study itself. Firstly, it distinguishes the institutional viewpoint, which includes the financial analysis and the political situation which has held up the brigade, the regulation applied to organize it, its crew, material resources that have been used, as well as the service offered. Secondly, the brigade has been part of the social background during each historical situation, being considered as a new and necessary tool to strengthen public security and which has grown along other public-spirited policies such as hygienism and new urban development. All this, developed in the context of urban transformation that meant the transition from an Old Regime town to a new middle class town. Already advanced the 20th century, the firefighting service evolves towards new functions that complement traditional citizen protection and place it in the field of social welfare.