Strolling through the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Madrid, it is easy to come across the “fire insurance” signs on the front door of some buildings. Although they currently do not have any kind of utility, they are part of the capital’s past. There are many buildings that preserve these posters since the historic center was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1995 and, therefore, is protected.
History and meaning of the “fire insurance” signs in Madrid
It all started in 1666, when the Great Fire of London took place. During three days the flames devastated the medieval town, destroying more than 13,000 houses, 87 parish churches and the vast majority of public buildings. At that time London had a population of 80,000, and 70,000 lost their homes.
In the wake of the catastrophe, the builder and economist Nicholas Barbon created the first specialized office in home and office fire insurance, ‘The Fire Office’ . A company that had a group of experts in fire fighting, who would go to insured buildings that were burning. To recognize which buildings were insured, they decided to affix a plaque with ‘The Fire Office’ insignia on them.
In Spain the first fire insurance company was the Sociedad de Seguros Mutuos de Fires de Casas in Madrid , founded in 1822. Unlike the British company, this company did not use the insignia to identify the insured buildings, but instead chose to install Signs with the text “Insured from fires.”
To prevent them from succumbing to the flames, they were made of iron, tin and copper . Over the years, more striking and colorful designs began to be created, and even these plates began to be used as an advertising claim.
During the second half of the 19th century, a multitude of insurance companies were created . Mutual fire insurance associations, owned by homeowners, also emerged. The mutual associations did not have their own equipment to put out the fires, so they agreed with the Madrid City Council to create a municipal firefighter service.
In 1894 Madrid professionalized the fire brigade , and fire extinguishing equipment was no longer necessary. Little by little they were disappearing, but the “fire insurance” signs remain intact today.
