Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-10-12
TO PREVENT FIRES.

This being Fire Prevention day IN
Iowa and many other states it Is In
teresting to note some of the steps
that have been taken along the line
Of fire prevention and the fixing OF
responsibility for preventable Ares.
Pennsylvania has the distinction OF
being the first state to enact the pr1n-
cipAe Of the law recommended by the
National Fire Prevention association,
enforcing personal responsibility for
prsventable fires. The bill passed by
the legislature has been signed by
the governor and Is now in force.
The statute provides that in addition
to present penalties for arson, or pay
nent of fines and penalties for the
violation of laws and ordinances, the
person on whose property fire &C.
ours. due to criminal intent, wilful
negligence or failure to comply with
the laws and ordinances, shall be
liable to the municipality for the pay
ment of all costs and expenses of the
Are department in extinguishing the
fire. These costs shall include the
wages OF the fremen, reasonable
amount of rental for the use of the
apparatus. and the cost Of the water
and other materials used, with an ad-
Llitional amount OF ten per cent OF the
total as supervisory or overhead
charges. to be paid into the city
treasury.
A similar law has long been enforc-
ed in Germany, and has had much to
do with the notably low loss ratio of
that country. The same principle is
now being enforced in New York City
where judgments have been secured
for the cost Of fire fighting where the
fire was due to failure to comply with
the requirements Of the city fire pre-
vention bureau. The state fire mar
shals agree that three-fourths of the
fires are due to carelessness or lack
of compliance with laws and ordin-
ances. The enforcement Of such law
would greatly reduce the number Of
preventable fires, would impress upon
the public lesson Of personal respon-
sibility, and should reduce and equal
ize the cost of maintaining fire de-
partments.
In connection with the campaign to
enforce personal responsibility for pre-
ventable fires, the attorney general
of Ohio has given an opinion to the
Cleveland chamber Of commerce. hold
ing that under the common law a
property owner on whose premises a
fire starts, due to negligence, Is liable
for damages to his neighbor II the fire
leads to or damages adjoining prop
An effort was made to secure the
enactment of personal responsible
ity law in Ohio and of city ordinance
in Cleveland enforcing the personal re-
spcnsibility principle. Political op-
position prevented their passage but
the attorneys for the Cleveland cham
Der OF commerce took the position
that such an official statute was IN
necessary In any state, as the COM
mon law already defined this respon-
sibilfty feature. It was suggested that
If the attorney general of the state
would consent to the issuance of such
an Official Interpretation and opinion
Of the common law, that would fullll
the purpose. In consequence the at
torney general Of Ohio has given the
following opinion:
AT common law one employing fire
as his agency, or upon whose proper
ty fire has been accidentally or with
out his fault started, who fails to ex-
ercise ordinary care under the circum-
stances to prevent its spreading to
nelghboring property, or one who
negligently or. carelessly starts a fire,
is liable for damages to. another for
injury to person or property Of which
injury such fire or its spread is the
proximate cause" ,
Il. This is expected to be Of great as
sistance in the enforcement Of the fire
prevention laws and ordinances The
state fire marshal and the municipal
authorities will print this opinion on
the blanks used to notify property
owners to correct dangerous fire con-
difiona