Fire Association of Philadelphia Fire Marker

Fire Association of Philadelphia fire marker. Used primarily for advertising purposes, fire marks were used from 1752 to circa 1900. Going back to their early practices, the Philadelphia Contributionship and The Baltimore Equitable Society still issue fire marks. Similar one in the Fireman's Hall Museum. The Trustees of the Fire Association of Philadelphia, currently known as the Fire Association of Philadelphia, was a separate insurance entity of an association of firemen formed to promote harmony and regulate the volunteer fire companies. It was the first insurance company in America to be organized and managed by the volunteer firemen. Formed without any capital, the Philadelphia volunteers pledged their firehouse and equipment to pay losses, while the Trustees were personally liable. The insurance company was so successful that the volunteers in other cities used the Fire Association’s charter and fire mark as a model.