Insurance may not be the most interesting topic in the world to write or talk about, but the history of how insurance came about is actually quite interesting. It’s kind of like politics- it may not be the most interesting topic to some (yet the most interesting to others), but the history of politics could be very interesting indeed. Connecticut insurance companies are among the biggest in the nation, and they have the history to back it up!
So what did the first insurance companies do when it came to home damage, most notably from a fire? Well, the eighteenth century saw the first insurance companies formed and relied on local departments to fight fires of the homes and businesses that they insured. Now, you may wonder how the departments knew which homes were insured. Well, homes that were insured displayed signs on their homes called ‘fire marks.’ These signs told fire departments that these homes were insured and thus required aid if a fire were ever to happen.
At first, these marks were put in place to discourage arson because they showed that the homes bearing the marks were insured and thus would not lose their livelihood from arson acts. Over time, insurance companies began to reward departments for putting out fires with the marks, and thus became a requirement for any home that wished for aid from a fire department.
Now obviously we all have some type of CT home insurance and fire departments respond to any and all fires. We hope this little fire listen gave you a great history lesson for today!
