This fire engine hose model, based on the design of Jan van der Heyden (1637-1712), was most likely made in his own workshop. The fire engine he designed in 1672, was a combination of a suction and force pump, with a long hose attached to it. The pump did not need to be filled with water, as water was pumped directly out of the canals via the hoses. The constant supply of water kept the water pressure high, thus fire extinguishing highly effective. The urge for reliable ways to extinguish fires was severe in the seventeenth century, as most fires rapidly spread to other buildings in the narrow streets of Amsterdam. Jan van der Heyden’s invention was put into quick use by the city of Amsterdam, as well as by the VOC (Dutch East India Company) and Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. The invention has saved many a ship and monument. This particular model was utilized until late into the nineteenth century.