Fireman is the boiler room title for the person who tends the fire, watches the water and keeps steam up, and it appears in shop talk and in some license names, such as First and Second Class Fireman in Massachusetts. Calling someone a fireman marks the job as hands-on: logs, blowdowns, glass checks and burner troubles, not paperwork.
Heard on the job
Fireman on nights logged the glass, the TDS and two blowdowns, so I trust that low-water trip was real.
Also heard as
- boiler tender
- stationary fireman
- boiler operator
Related terms
Gauge glass
The glass tube or window on a steam boiler that shows the operator the actual water level.
Blowdown
Draining some boiler water on purpose to remove concentrated dissolved solids and settled sludge.
Low-water cutoff
A safety control that shuts the burner off when the boiler water level drops below a safe point.