Hans Hautsch

Role: Toolmaker

Hans Hautsch (born January 4, 1595 in Nuremberg, died January 31, 1670 Nuremberg) was a toolmaker, like his father, Antoni (1563-1627), and his grandfather, Kilian (-1570).

In 1650, Hans Hautsch built a fire engine pump with compressed air to deliver a continuous jet of water up to heights of 20 metres (66 ft). On each side, 14 men worked a piston rod back and forth in a horizontal direction. In 1655, Caspar Schott inspected the fire engine and reported on it in his Magia Universalis. Hans’ invention went on to be revolutionary for firefighting, laying the basis for other pumps and eventually the modern fire engine.