steven@mcvax.UUCP (Steven Pemberton) (10/25/84)
> This idea of having private fire brigades, etc. was, I believe, tried out in > London in the early days of fire-fighting. [...] I think you will find it > was not a resounding success, (several fire engines arriving at scene, > arguments over which should put out the fire, getting in each others way, > luckless householder watches his property being destroyed :-). Actually it was not exactly 'tried out', but it developed. Early insurance companies formed their own fire-brigades, and house owners who then insured themselves with a company would get a plaque to put on the front of their house (you can still see the plaques on some old houses). An arriving fire-brigade could then tell whether they should attempt to put the fire out or not. If a fire-brigade from another company arrived first they would often just sit and watch, and jeer and jibe the competition fighting the fire.
jdb@qubix.UUCP (Jeff Bulf) (10/29/84)
When I was an inspector for a fire insurance rating service in Arizona,
several areas of that fair state DID depend on a private fire department.
If you were not up to date on your payments, they might or might not respond
to your fire!
This situation prevailed mostly in rural areas, but one notable exception
was Scottsdale, a major suburb of Phoenix.
One factor in calculating fire insurance rates is the availability and
quality of fire-fighting service. This is measured on a scale of 1 (ideal-
eg a 1st class urban fire district) to 10 (no protection available).
The highest rating in Arizona was a 3 (Mesa). One building that I remember
being in a "10 - unprotected" zone was an actual fire house of the above-
mentioned private fire department. Their service was not significant enough
to affect the insurance rates of their own building.
I also remember something to the effect of no fire hydrants in the
Paradise Valley district of this same fire protetion service. The pumper
truck was expected to take its water from your swimming pool! ("You dont
have a what?).
"Nuthin' left to do but smile smile smile"
--
Dr Memory
...{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!qubix!jdb