The first organization of
firefighters was created by
Emperor Pedro II in 1856. Initially the Corps was not of a
military character. It was only in 1880 that the Corps was militarized and it adopted a military
hierarchy. Because of
cultural and
linguistic affinities to
France, the Military Firefighter adopted an organisation similar to that of the
Sapeurs-pompiers of
Paris; who were classified as
military engineers, and organized to serve as
pioneers or
sappers when necessary. With the Proclamation of the
Republic in 1889, the States that were financially better off were able to constitute their own Firefighters Corps. On the other hand, the Firefighters Corps of the
Federal Capital (
Rio de Janeiro, until 1960), was from the start completely autonomous, being created within the structure of the armed forces of the State, the former name of the current
Brazilian military police. In 1915 Federal
legislation authorized the incorporation of the militarized forces of the states into the Brazilian Army, in the event of national
mobilization. In 1917 the Brigade of Police and the Firefighters Corps of the Federal Capital were officially considered part of the military reserve; condition that to continuation extended to the States. In this period the Firefighters Corps, as members of the military forces of the States, fought in the main conflicts that resulted in present-day Brazil. This situation was altered again after the
Revolutions of 1930 and
1932; demilitarization of the CBMs was imposed by the Federal Government in 1934 to diminish the power of the military forces of the States, which threatened the balance of power in the country. With the end of
World War II, and the fall of the
Estado Novo (), the forces in the States reverted to full State control; once again allowing the militarization of the CBMs, since these were incorporated into the
Military Police. In 1967 the Inspectorate General of Military Police ( – IGPM) was created, reporting to the Ministry of War, which is responsible for coordinating and conducting control activities over the Military Police (and Firefighters Corps). With the end of the
Military Government and the institution of a new Constitution in 1988, the States were granted autonomy to administer their security forces as best suited them. The majority opted to separate the Firefighters Corps from the Military Police. The term "Military" was inserted in 1990 to distinguish the Military Firefighters Corps from organizations of
civilian and
voluntary firefighters. Starting 2013, the MFC also has full operational duties over the civilian private firefighting academies in order to combat corruption in the civil fire services. == Emergency telephone number ==