Following are the prerequisites if you want to add firebase to your project.
- For working with Firebase you should install Android Studio 1.5 or higher.
- Download the latest Google Play services SDK from through Android SDK Manager.
- The device should be running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or newer, and Google Play services 9.2.0 or newer.
I could only find out all this after hours of struggle.
Source: Adding Firebase to your Android App