Final answer:
The statement about early volunteer fire companies that is not true is the one suggesting they worked together with the common goal of keeping towns safe. Although the ultimate goal was to protect the community, these early companies were often competitive and did not consistently cooperate.
Step-by-step explanation:
To address the student's question about which statement regarding early volunteer fire companies is not true, it is important to look at the historical context of firefighting. In the early days of firefighting, communities often relied on volunteers to battle blazes that broke out. Without modern-day communications and coordination, these volunteers came from various independent companies that sometimes competed rather than cooperated.
Statement A suggests that companies arriving on the scene at the same time would engage in fist-fights. This is true. Volunteer firefighters were quite territorial and competitive, often clashing over who had the right to fight the fire. Statement B claims that firefighters reveled in the danger of attacking fires, which is also true - records from the time often depict the bravery and the sense of adventure among the firefighters. Statement D tells us that companies would send a man with a bucket to claim 'first water', which is again true; it was a practice used to lay claim to the fire, ensuring that the company would be the one to fight the fire and potentially receive any available compensation or glory.
Therefore, Statement C is the incorrect one, as it infers that companies worked together with the common goal of keeping towns safe. Although protecting the community was an ultimate objective, the early volunteer fire companies were known for their rivalry and lack of coordination rather than for unified communal efforts. It took many years and reforms to bring cooperation and professionalism to the field of firefighting.