The Meaning of the Maltese Cross

Most fire apparatus, and many shirts, uniforms and badges worn by firefighters, bear the shape of the eight-pointed Maltese Cross with its familiar red circle and four sides.

Every fire department’s cross is a little different. The Maltese Cross of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company features a hydrant on the left and a hook and ladder on the right, two of the most iconic symbols of the Fire Service. Straddling the “13” is a hydraulic spreader, representing the mission of saving lives.

What you may not know is that the symbol was handed down over 1,000 years from the Knights of the Crusades.

The history of fighting fire, and the honor with which those warriors fought, is the basis for the code and emblem displayed by our modern Fire Service.

Back in the 11th Century, a courageous band of monks from Jerusalem calling themselves the brothers of St. John, or Hospitallers, became firefighters out of necessity.

The men formed a charitable, non-military organization that helped the sick and poor by setting up hospices and hospitals. But as the wars began for control of the Holy Land, they assisted the Knights of the Crusades through their goodwill. Inevitably drawn into battle, they became the Knights of St. John.

Their enemies, the Saracens, had invented a new weapon – throwing glass bombs containing naphtha, a flammable liquid mixture… their version of a “Molotov Cocktail.” They would then lob a flaming torch down on the drenched Crusaders. Needless to say, the result was an agonizing, fiery death.

The Knights of St. John soon became known for risking their lives to rescue their comrades and extinguish the fires, often smothering the flames with long capes they would wear. However, there was one major problem. In the heat of battle, completely encased in body and facial armor for protection, the warriors could not distinguish friend from foe.

To solve this, they created an identifying emblem, a stylized Cross of Calvary, to wear over their armor. This mantle identified their allegiance and showed that they fought for a holy cause.

Later, when the order moved to the Island of Malta and became known as the Knights of Malta, they continued to use their symbol, which became known as the Maltese Cross, similar to what firefighters wear today.

The cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. It means that the firefighter is willing to lay down his or her life just as the Crusaders did so many generations ago.

Do You Have What It Takes? Find more information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved at our website www.HaddamFire.com, or connect with us on Facebook.