The Chicago Fire Insurance Patrol was an emergency salvage company whose duty was to respond to fires and reduce the costs associated with them by saving property. Obviously, this could be a dangerous job, and according to the records from the Illinois Fire Service Institute, Alfred C. Papineau responded to an industrial fire on October 31, 1886, and began working in the basement once the flames were doused. A portion of the building collapsed, injuring two other patrolmen and killing Papineau.
A Grave Concern 