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From: steven@mcvax.UUCP (Steven Pemberton)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: private fire-brigades
Message-ID: <6120@mcvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Oct-84 08:45:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcvax.6120
Posted: Thu Oct 25 08:45:30 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Oct-84 06:04:45 EDT
References: <1717@inmet.UUCP> <2732@ucbcad.UUCP> <188@godot.UUCP> <180@westcsr.UUCP>
Reply-To: steven@mcvax.UUCP (Steven Pemberton)
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 13

> 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.