Fire Badge "Philadelphia Fire Insurance Patrol 62"
date: label: date made
content: 20th century
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: In the early days of firefighting, insurance companies and fire departments worked together at a fire scene. Fire patrols were organized by insurance companies to patrol a neighborhood and report any fires that occurred, inspect buildings for fire hazards, and work with the fire department to prevent loss of life and property. Patrol wagons were equipped with rubber blankets to protect property from water damage, fire extinguishers, and buckets to squelch small fires, and would pump water from cellars and mop it up from roofs after the fire had been extinguished.
label: Description
content: This metal shield-shaped fire badge belonged to a patrolman of the Fire Insurance Patrol of the City of Philadelphia. The badge is decorated with a small torch at the top and a plaque with floral decorations at the bottom. Upper and lower banners read “PHILADA / FIRE INSURANCE / PATROL” in raised letters. The center of the badge bears the raised white metal badge number “62.” The Fire Insurance Patrol operated from 1869 until 1962.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
label: associated place
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
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content: Work
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content: Firefighting Collection
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content: Fire Badges
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0233.1383
label: accession number
content: 2005.0233
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0233.1383
objectType: label: Object Name
content: badge, fireman's
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 3/16 in x 1 3/4 in; 5.5245 cm x 4.445 cm