Maltese Cross Meaning Firefighter

It is often seen painted on fire trucks on the clothing of firefighters depicted on firefighters badges and is quite often the chosen design of firefighter tattoos.
Maltese cross meaning firefighter. The badge of a fire fighter is the maltese cross. It means that the firefighter that wears it is willing to protect and lay down his own life for the safety of his brother just as the crusaders did centuries ago. Symbolism of the firefighter emblem maltese florian cross the firefighter cross is a symbol of honor valor courage and integrity. So in this article we re going to do a deep dive into what the cross is what it symbolizes and how it s actually used.
Almost any fire apparatus you see today has a maltese cross on it. The maltese cross is a badge of honor signifying that he works in courage a ladders rung away from death. This is the story that this symbol of chivalry has to tell and bring to light the correlation between it and the fire service. The symbol of the knights of malta what became known as the maltese cross quickly became a widely recognized and admired badge of honor that extends to the current day.
Florian cross oftentimes mistakenly called the maltese cross. Although chiefly associated with the knights hospitaller order of st. If you take a look at almost any fire apparatus today you re likely to see the maltese cross. While it s not really there for aesthetic appeal this emblem has a very rich history and it symbolized an elite group of people that have dedicated their lives to serve their everyone in need.
Firefighters wear badges that also bear the shape of the maltese cross. The maltese cross is a cross symbol consisting of four v or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles two tips pointing outward symmetrically. The maltese cross is the very familiar red center circle. Florian cross is oftentimes confused for the maltese cross.
The maltese cross is a symbol of protection. This cross is almost universally used as the symbol of firefighters around the world. The badge of a fireman is the st. These knights bore the cross a religious symbol on their uniforms.
Its story is hundreds of years old it goes on to say the st. Florian cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. The maltese cross firefighters. During the crusades the knights battled.
John now the. It s fitting that the national volunteer fire council and the international association of fire fighters as well as thousands of fire departments across the country have adopted the maltese cross as a symbol that exemplifies the courage and abilities of firefighters.