Assessment of the reliability of statistical data on fires in the Russian Empire in the middle of the 19th century

The article is devoted to assessing the reliability of statistical data on fires in the Russian Empire in the middle of the 19th century. The factors determining the accuracy of the initial statistical data are identified, the main indicators that were taken into account in the middle of the 19th century are analyzed: total fires per year, from arson, from lightning, from negligence, fires in towns and villages, devastation and economic damage from fires, statistics on deaths from fires. By the middle of the 19th century, the Russian Empire already had a fire fighting system, which was distinguished by the following features: regulatory and legal support for fire safety covered all stages of the service's work - prevention, liquidation and restoration of affected territories; professional training of firefighters began in the capital's fire depots; theoretical and practical firefighting skills received scientific justification; all facilities were legally established. The fire departments of the Russian Empire were brought to uniformity and uniform fire protection rules were developed for all types of settlements; the first fire insurance company was established and the foundations of national fire statistics were laid.   The research was based on the principles of scientific objectivity, historicism and consistency. Of the historical methods, the most important are problem-chronological (when identifying the processes of formation of statistical research tools) and historical-situational (when analyzing factors affecting the reliability of data). As a result of the study, it was revealed that by the middle of the 19th century. In the Russian Empire, a legislative and executive framework was established not only for the collection, but also for the analysis of statistical information related to economic, demographic and social spheres of life. It was noted that the primary collection of fire data, which required thoroughness and attention to detail, was most often assigned to police officials with a wide range of official duties. Statistics on arson, lightning fires, and information on government, industrial, and church buildings that burned down are the most reliable, while the total number of fires per year and the degree of economic damage caused by them are the least reliable. The experience of the first decade of providing fire statistics in the Russian Empire proved useful, determined the further development of the statistical service and contributed to the complexity of statistical analysis.

Russian empire, history of fire safety, statistic of fires, a fire caused by carelessness, arson, governor, lighting fire, confidence assesstment, died from fire, fire report