The Inspector wrote:
Run with them to have them put onto DVD's as the really old film is all nitrocellulose based and very brittle and as flamable as gasoline

That is a myth actually. Neither eight nor sixteen millimeter motion picture film stock was made with nitrocellulose, only thirty-five millimeter. It may still be fragile but it isn't going to go off like a fire bomb. If you are really worried the film may have "Safety Film" printed on it between the perforations. If by some bizarre chance you have the one set of reels ever made from nitrate it will have the word "Nitrate" printed there instead.
I'd still get them transferred to DVD regardless since you won't have to worry about finding a 16mm projector and maybe having the film break.
James