This book provides a comprehensive history and analysis of the National Board of Fire Underwriters. The authors examine the Board's role in promoting fire safety, improving building codes, and establishing modern fire departments. The book also considers criticisms of the Board, including accusations of cronyism and inefficiency. This book is a fascinating look at the history of fire safety in the United States and the development of modern fire prevention practices. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.