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.