Identified by its eight points that extend outward to form four separate petals, the Maltese Cross is the Universal Symbol of the fire service. It is said that the four petals of the Maltese Cross represent the elements of Courage, Bravery, Compassion and Loyalty to Duty—but there is much more to the story behind this badge of honour.

During the 11th Century, there existed an order known as the “Knights Hospitallers.” This Order was recognized for the service it provided through a Jerusalem hospital next to the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Those who vowed service to the Order wore a badge that consisted of an eight-point white cross against a black background.

Over the years, the Knights Hospitallers became well-known for the level of care they provided to the sick and their service and compassion to the less privileged in Jerusalem. As a symbol of their appreciation for this service, many of the people affected by the service of the Knights Hospitallers provided large sums of money and property to the Order. As a result of these gifts, the Order grew to become one of the most powerful and respected Orders of Knights in history.

As history progressed, the Knights Hospitallers evolved into the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, a courageous band of crusaders who battled the Saracens for possession of the Holy Lands. During their earliest battles with the Saracens, the Knights of Saint John encountered a new weapon [previously] unknown to European warriors. It was a simple, yet horrible device of war that brought excruciated pain and agonizing death upon the brave fighters of the cross. It was fire!

As the Knights advanced on the walls of Jerusalem, the Saracens pelted them with glass bombs filled with naphtha and fuel oils. Once the Knights were drenched with the flammable liquids, a flaming object was tossed into their midst. As the fuels ignited, hundreds of the Knights were burned alive; others removed their colorful capes and threw them over their burning kinsmen to extinguish the flames and save them from this painful, fiery death.

The heroic efforts of the Knights of Jerusalem were recognized by a badge of honour similar to that worn by modern day fire service personnel. In fact, in 1530 the entire Island of Malta, where the Knights of Saint John had resided for nearly four centuries, was provided this courageous Order of the Knights and adorned with the eight-point cross previously worn by the Hospitallers. That cross came to be known as the Maltese Cross—the symbol for the modern day fire service.