Fire Insurance: The Essentials of the Fire Insurance Business (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Edward Augustus Ketcham

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0484541897 ISBN 13: 9780484541893

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Understanding how buildings survive fire and how insurers assess the risk

This volume explains the essentials of the fire insurance business, focusing on building materials, fire performance, and rating methods. It helps readers grasp why certain materials resist heat better, how tests inform protection, and how ratings shape insurance costs and construction choices.

The book surveys common building materials—brick, concrete, terra cotta, and timber—explaining how they behave under high heat and why some approaches fail in real fires. It also discusses how fire tests, tests in major conflagrations, and engineering findings influence the protection of steel frameworks and floors. The discussion extends to practical rating systems and the idea of classifying risk beyond simple occupancy, toward graded qualities that better reflect actual hazard.

• Learn why brick and concrete are favored for fire resistance and where weaknesses lie
• See how fire tests, real-world fires, and material properties inform protection of steel frames
• Understand how conflagration costs influence insurance rates and overall rating systems
• Explore proposals for grading risks by occupancy and risk quality to improve pricing and safety

Ideal for readers of building construction, insurance history, and fire protection, this edition connects construction choices with the practical world of fire insurance and risk assessment.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0484541897
• ISBN 13: 9780484541893
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 322