While the Flames Raged
ON THE BOOK SHELF
By John M. Malecky April, 2022
While the Flames Raged
Fire Patrols:& Salvage Corps
in the United States
By Emmons E. Douglass
Available from:
FSP Books & Videos
433 Main Street
Hudson, MA 01749-1330
1-800-522-8528
E-mail: support@fire-police-ems.com
www.fire-police-ems.com
Price: $24.95 (reduced)
This is a soft covered book measuring 8 ½ inches by 11 inches. It has 238 pages. This book is from 1993. The author, now deceased, had been a fire insurance underwriter for many years. He was also a buff in Medford and the Greater Boston Area with special interest in insurance salvage corps. This agency did cover work at fires to protect property and insurance company interests. They were employed by the insurance industry. He gives a very candid report that this is not an in-depth look at the companies, but represents the best of what could be gathered both by him and others sources. It covers the cities of Albany, NY, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Duluth, MN, Indianapolis, Kansas City, MO, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Newark, NJ, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, San Francisco, St. Louis, St. Paul and Worcester, MA. Some histories are elaborate such as from New York City, Boston and Chicago, while others are very short such as Duluth, Memphis and Minneapolis. It all depended on how much was written and available at the time of the compilation. There is an abundance of photos, mostly all black and white with some nice color ones as well. So the reader can see that these trucks are older. There are also photos of sedans, stations both exterior and interior, personnel, helmet front pieces and horses pulling wagons from the good ole days! I know the New York City Fire Patrol 3 from Brooklyn was disbanded in 2006. I can’t be sure but figure that salvage units are now a thing of the past regarding how they used to be. I would assume that the work is now in the hands of private companies, but certainly not during fire operations. This however is an excellent history book of days gone by!
No information from the author.
