When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

This is a modern, anonymous aphorism that circulates widely in motivational and conflict-resolution contexts (posters, email forwards, social media, workplace trainings). It riffs on the older proverb “fight fire with fire,” which originally referred to countering a threat with a similar force, but here it is turned into a humorous reminder about de-escalation. The “Fire Department” image anchors the saying in everyday civic experience: professional responders don’t mirror the hazard; they use an effective, calming countermeasure. Because it is commonly shared without attribution and appears in many compilations of anonymous sayings, a single originating moment or speaker is not reliably documented.

The quote cautions against retaliatory escalation—answering anger with anger, insults with insults, or aggression with aggression. By pointing out that firefighters typically use water, it suggests that the most effective response to “heat” is often its opposite: calm, restraint, patience, or a practical solution rather than emotional mirroring. The humor makes the moral easier to accept: “fighting fire with fire” sounds bold, but professionals tasked with stopping damage choose what actually works. In interpersonal terms, it advocates de-escalation and strategic compassion, implying that matching someone’s hostility may feel satisfying but usually spreads the blaze.

1) “When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that firefighters usually use water.”
2) “When you feel like fighting fire with fire, remember: the fire department uses water.”
3) “If you’re tempted to fight fire with fire, remember the fire department fights fire with water.”