For more than 200 years, fire departments considered themselves to be _________ organizations.

Fire departments for over two centuries primarily defined themselves as reactive organizations because their primary role was to respond to emergencies such as fires, medical incidents, and other life-threatening situations. The essence of a reactive organization is its dependence on responding to events after they occur, rather than implementing strategies to prevent them before they happen. Historically, the focus was on arriving at the scene of a fire or emergency and managing the situation as effectively as possible, which is consistent with the core mission of fire departments during this period.

While there have been shifts in the fire service philosophy towards more proactive and preventive measures in recent years—such as implementing fire prevention programs and community awareness initiatives—the traditional view that dominated for centuries was largely reactive. This defines the identity and role of fire departments throughout the majority of their history, highlighting their commitment to emergency response rather than prevention or support measures.