The problem of studying the national historical experience of fire safety management is actualized. The current state of public administration in the fire sector and its impact on the level of national security is taken into account. The categories «fire safety» and «fire safety management» are used in the connotation of the Federal Law «On Fire Safety» of 1994 as amended in 2022. Insufficient degree of research of this direction of state activity is revealed. The existence of a thousand-year tradition of ensuring fire safety by the forces and means of the population on the principles of voluntary and compulsory participation is substantiated. The content of the centuries–old practice of fire safety management is revealed, the essence of which is the publication of regulatory documents containing requirements for compliance with fire-fighting measures by the population, sanctions against violators and the use of voluntary fire brigades in fighting fires. The features of governance at different stages of the formation and development of our state are revealed: during the existence of the Slavic principalities, in the Moscow state and in the Russian Empire. Inconsistency of management decisions of the state in professionalization of fire protection in the XIX century is revealed.