Obsolete term; replaced by 消防士 in modern Japanese. May still appear in historical contexts or older texts.
See also: 消防士 (しょうぼうし)
Before the war they were called 消防夫, but now they are called 消防士.
Compound of 消防 (firefighting) and 夫 (man, laborer). The term fell out of use as 消防士 became standard.