More Holiday Fire Talk

We were sort of a killjoy when it came to Thanksgiving. We're back to talk about Chanukah which starts this week (sundown on the 1st if I read my calendar right). You're probably thinking we'll harp on how dangerous frying food is, or how having 9 candles burning near wrapping paper is a definite no-no. You'd be wrong though. What we have to talk about today is only tangentially related to Chanukah.

Recently I was looking at the definition of fire in an insurance glossary (Rupp's Insurance and Risk Management Glossary, 2nd edition for those of you who don't follow the link). I thought it was very interesting that the glossary differentiated between friendly fire and hostile fire especially since I had really only heard the term friendly fire in regard to war.

In insurance terms, Chanukah candles would epitomize friendly fire. They are set intentionally for beneficial purposes and (it is hoped) remain within their intended confines. Insurance does not cover friendly fire unless it spreads to unintended materials (in other words, becomes hostile).

If you are yearning for more information on fire definitions, you'd probably like to know that most fires caused by modern Chanukah celebrations would be considered "class a fires," fires involving solid combustibles and best put out using water or class a fire extinguishers. Had the oil lamp at the original Chanukah spread beyond the proper confines, it would have been a "class b fire," a type of fire involving flammable liquids (oil) and requiring carbon dioxide or a class b fire extinguisher to put out.

My foray into the insurance glossary section of our collection led me to an 1886 book called Harris's Technical Fire Insurance Dictionary. As you may know, our library began in 1887 as a fire insurance library (we didn't add casualty insurance to our collection until 1920 and it wasn't until the 1970s that we broadened our collection to include life and health insurance). This means, that the book was part of our very early collection housed in this room:

(taken from the 1923 edition of The Insurance Index)

And carefully watched over by a librarian following these rules:

A larger version of this can be found by following this link.

Harris's Technical Fire Insurance Dictionary has many interesting entries. The preface states:

This book, comprising in a condensed form many notes and observations made by the Author during a long and very busy experience as Surveyor, Inspector and Branch Secretary, has been written mainly with the view of drawing attention of Fire Insurance Officials and Agents to important points connected with matters of survey, and general practice and to the many dangers arising not only during processes of manufacture, but also from the crowded character of risks; from spontaneous combustion; and from other sources too numerous to mention.

Yes, all of that is one sentence, and also the first paragraph of the preface! I love that it includes this phrase: "comprising in a condensed form. . ." leaving me to wonder what a fully expanded form would look like.

My favorite entry in the book though, is the following:

FIRES, Refreshments at: Bills for expenses of this kind require very careful scrutiny, and in no case should they be paid when refreshments have been given away indiscriminately, or without proper authority. In no case where publicans throw open their houses should any payment be authorised by the Agent. See also FIRES, Assistance At.

If you are as charmed by this book as I am or there's someone on your holiday list who you think might be taken with it, feel free to contact us about the possibility of adopting the book as part of our "adopt a book" program. While the book is not in terrible shape, it could use some loving care to bring it back to its former glory.

Black Friday

While I am one of those "shop through the year for holiday gifts" people, I admit I also get up to face the throngs on Black Friday. I would hate to be six days into those 8 crazy nights or stuck on December 23rd (yes, I celebrate both holidays) praying to the postal gods that the shipment will make it in the (st.) nick of time time.

Because today is such a huge shopping day for so many people, I thought it would be an appropriate time to let you know how you could remember the library while doing your holiday shopping. We have three main options for gifts to the library.

The Annual Fund is where general monetary donations throughout the year go. The money is spent on up-keep of the library as well as focusing on one or two projects for the year. Companies and individuals who donate to the annual fund get their name published in our newsletter (we're a non-profit so your donation may also be eligible for a tax deduction -- we're not tax experts though). This spring, the library had a flood so a good portion of the Annual Fund money was spent helping us recover.

Another way of supporting the library and its collection is through the "Adopt A Book Program" which provides for preservation of our historical publications and documents. The money donated goes toward a specific item --you can read some background about the books and look at them online in their tattered state to pick which one you want to adopt. We make sure a personalized book plate is put in the front, so users know whose generosity ensured future use of the material. The book plate can be donated in honor of someone in case you want to buy it as a gift for someone else. Your recipient can come into the library any time they want and admire the book-binder's handiwork and their name emblazoned on the inside cover.

Finally, the library has an Amazon Wishlist. While you're completing your other shopping on amazon, you can click over and skim the list. If anything catches your fancy, you can simply add it to your cart with the rest of your purchase and Amazon should know to send it to us. You'll notice there are items on the list for general office upkeep. We're currently using the 2004 version of Quicken and would love to upgrade to the 2011 version. We also have a laptop computer on the list. Our instructors muddle along on our current one which hasn't been replaced in a number of years and no longer has a working CD-Rom drive. As you would expect, the rest of the list is filled out with books. Many of these books have been requested by patrons or are for very specialized areas of insurance interest but aren't in our budget. If you find something that falls within your particular area of interest, we'd love it if you'd donate it to our library so we could share it with many more people.

We appreciate the many ways in which individuals and companies show their support for the library and hope that this information makes that support easier.

If You Can't Stand the Heat. . .

Not to be a debbie downer, but according to the National Fire Protection Association, "Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires." They have been proclaiming this on their website since at least 2006 (prior to that it appears that they warned of cooking fires in general during the holidays). The U.S. Fire Administration has some interesting facts posted on their website regarding home cooking fires. These facts were gleaned from a co-sponsored study with the NFPA. Highlights of the list are:

• Males face a disproportionate risk of cooking fire injury relative to the amount of cooking they do.


• Unattended cooking is the single leading factor contributing to cooking fires.


• Many other cooking fires begin because combustibles are too close to cooking heat sources.


• More than half of the home cooking injuries occur when people try to fight the fire themselves.

Thanksgiving is still a week away so hopefully, you can follow some of these tips to prevent a home cooking fire and injuries. The NFPA has a handy printable sheet of tips for home cooking fire safety. And this helpful one page document on Thanksgiving Safety Procedures:

The Home Safety Council also has a convenient list of ways to prevent fires and fire injuries. Most of the fire safety tips are pretty common sense.

• Watch food at all times when you're cooking.


• Don't leave the house if you've got something in the oven or simmering.


• Don't cook when you're drowsy.


• Wear clothes that are close fitting so they don't accidentally ignite.


• Remove any combustible items from around the stove (eg: don't leave oven mitts near any burners).


• Keep your cooking area clean. Do not let grease build up on the range top, toaster oven or in the oven.


• Keep a lid handy to slide over a pan to smother a fire that might start.

If you know what kind of fire you're dealing with, you can try to stop it (bearing in mind that more injuries occur when people try to fight the fires).

Grease Fires:

• Should you have a grease fire on your stove top, smother the fire by sliding a lid over the pan and turn off the stove top. Leave the pan covered until the pan cools completely (opening the pan to check on it allows oxygen in which can re-ignite the fire).


• Never put water on a grease fire or use a multipurpose fire extinguisher on a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.


• Never attempt to carry a flaming pan across the kitchen.

Oven Fires:

• Turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.


• Never open the door until the fire is completely out (allowing oxygen in can re-ignite the fire).

Microwave Fires:

• If you have a fire in your microwave, turn it off immediately and keep the door closed.


• If you can safely reach the outlet unplug the microwave oven.


• Never open the door until the fire is completely out (allowing oxygen in can re-ignite the fire).


• Have the microwave oven checked and/or serviced before being used again.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of cooking fire information. While we are not experts on fire safety, we have tried to compile some of the basic information here and provide you with sources (NFPA, The U.S. Fire Administration and the Home Safety Council) that can further your research into this topic. Remember, the most important advice regarding fighting kitchen fires is, When in doubt, just get out! Close the door behind you and call the fire department from outside.

We here at the library hope you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

Annual Meeting Recap

This year's annual meeting was fairly eventful. We said a sad farewell to several of our trustees. Trusting that they'll remain stalwart library supporters.

Paula Gold Vice President and Chief Regulatory Counsel for Plymouth Rock Assurance, has been replaced by Charles (Chuck) C. Hewitt, III Executive Vice President of Guy Carpenter.

John Donohue CEO of Arbella has been replaced by Jim Hyatt, also of Arbella. In June, Jim Hyatt became the Vice President of their personal lines group.

Philip J. Edmundson, CEO and Chairman of William Gallagher Associates, who was brought on as an associate treasurer mid-term 1989 and then as a full board member as of the November 1989 meeting, also passed the torch. Patrick J. Veale, President of WGA, has taken Phil's place (he brought up some excellent points during the meeting and we're eager to see what other ideas he brings to the board).

Though his term was not up, Josiah D. Hatch, president of H. R. Hatch Insurance Agency, has stepped down. He was a special appointment to The Board in December of 1995. The Board voted to make him a Trustee Emeritus for all of his hard and exceedingly productive work over the past 15 years. A new Trustee will be appointed to fill Josiah's place.

Other changes to the board included the election of a new Board President, Donald F. Vose Vice President of The Andover Companies. He seems eager to become familiar with all of the committees and has already sat on an education committee meeting.

A good portion of the meeting was also devoted to discussing the many Massachusetts and New Hampshire insurance continuing education classes which the library provides and the future of those classes. This included highlighting our foray into webinars with "Coverage Review of the Business Auto Policy" slated to start in January. See our website for current and upcoming class listings!

The Frank W. Humphrey Award

The Frank W. Humphrey Golden Anniversary Award was established by Maurice H. Saval (after whom our education arm is named) in honor of Frank W. Humphrey, his mentor. Mr. Humphrey was at the agency Boit Dalton & Church, later Frank B. Hall & Company and now Aon Risk Services of Massachusetts. The prize was first awarded to commemorate Mr. Humphrey’s 50th year in the insurance business and is intended to be a special tribute to his contribution to our industry by his guidance and assistance to young people entering the business.

The winner each year is chosen from among those students who have successfully completed the course in Property and Liability Insurance Principles taught by Joe Sciacca. The student with the highest grade on the national exam that year earns the award. The presentation each year takes place during the Library's Annual Meeting.

This year's winner was Michelle Mozzicato from Crum & Forster. Michelle Mozzicato has worked at Crum & Forster Insurance for the past 11 years. She began her career with C&F as an Executive Assistant, and held that title for nine years. She was promoted to an Operations Supervisor in 2008, and most recently promoted to Operations Manager in 2009.

Prior to Crum & Forster Michelle was an Executive Assistant at BankBoston for 14 years. Michelle is married with two teenage boys, and resides in Stoneham, MA.

The picture below of Joe congratulating Michelle was taken by her husband at this year's meeting. You can expect more information on the annual meeting in tomorrow's blog post!

Joseph Sciacca & Michelle Mozzicato

We'll Trade

We'd like to take this opportunity to share with you some teaser photos from The Insurance Professional of the Year Award Ceremony (all photographs courtesy of Emily Photography). In exchange for the pictures, we'd love to get 1,000 words (we'll settle for your two cents -- we are a non-profit after all).

As mentioned in our most recent newsletter, we're interested in people's memories and reactions to this year's event. Any suggestions for next year's event would also be welcome including recommendations for possible nominees (though we can't promise that they'll win). Please post your responses in the comments section below!

Michael J. Sabbagh, 2010 Insurance Professional of the Year Award Winner

Name Tags

Acceptance Speech

Presentation of the Portrait (provided each year by Commonwealth Auto Reinsurers)

Award Winners Past and Present

(from left to right)

Daniel J. Johnston, 2006 winner

William F. Hofmann, III, 2002 winner

David J. Lane, 2004 winner

Richard W. Brewer, 2009 winner

Michael J. Sabbagh, 2010 winner

John K. Golembeski, 2007 winner

Ralph "Buddy" Iannaco, 2005 winner

John B. Connors, 2003 winner

Not pictured: Ronald Mariano, 2008 winner

Annual Meeting

Following close on the heels of the Insurance Professional of the Year Award Ceremony every year is the Annual Meeting of the Association. This year the Annual Meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 16, 2010. All members of the Insurance Library are encouraged to attend (as an incentive there is a light breakfast served at 8:00am) and hear about current initiatives at the library, take a look at the library budget, and hear about new library business.

If you are a member and are unable to attend, please feel free to fill out the proxy form found here.

We hope to see you in a couple of weeks!