Evening star., 1961-02-07
D.C.Defends Policy
On Nursing Home
Officials Against
Reporting All
Hazard Dutu
BY CHARLES d. PIERCE
Star stan Writer

Vernon Nursing Home not
being notified Of potential fire
hazards in the buildings.
AS the Citizens Advisory
Council resumed its second day
of hearings on the fire which
took seven lives last Wednes.
day at the home at 1901 CAL
vert street NV, Milton w.
King, council chairman, said
he has been wondering why
building owners are not in
formed Of possible fire dan
gers.
Previous testimony had dis
closed that, while the fire mar
shal's office had notified the
Department of Licenses and
Inspections that the back stair
way at the Mount Vernon Nurs.
ing Home was not properly
protected or inclosed. no one
had warned the owner or oper-
ator Of the building of the
hazard.
Only Action Possible
j. j. ngenfritz, director Of
the Department Of Licenses and
Inspections, has said his depart
ment could take no action on
the Mount Vernon Nursing
Home report except to tell the
fire marShal's office it was not
a violation Of District regula-
tions when it was reported last
November.
Mr.. Ilgenfritz said today that
his department has received
reports of possible violations
in 1,000-l,500 buildings in the
District.
Asked Mr.. King:
What's the sense of the fire
marshals reporting to you, II
nothing is done about it?
Mr.. ngenfritz: "The fire
marshaPs inspectors are re-
porting from the layman's point
Of view on structural defects.
1t might be a violation, so his
report serves a useful purpose"
DR.. G. c. Wilkinson, a coun-
Gil member, asked Mr.. ngen-
fritz If 1t would be his policy in
the future to give building own
ers information his department
receives from the fire marshal'S
office. -
Confusion Seen Likely
Replied Mr.. ngenfritz: mo.
sir. I do not believe in such O
policy. 1t would create great
confusion in the District gov
ernment and in the minds Of
the owners. I don't think it
would be a good policy. If we
sent the thousands of reports
out it would result in great
confusion"
why doesn't the fire mar
Shals office tell the building
owner about these things?" DR..
Wilkinson asked.
"The fire marshal's inspector
doesn't know if it is a viola
tion." Mr.. Ilgenfritz replied.
That's why. he sends it to us.
The fire marshal's men are
only qualified on their own
fire regulations"
Deputy Fire Marshal Hugh
Groves said the inspectors from
his office are not authorities
on possible structural defects
and cannot warn owners Of
everything they think might be
a violation Of the District build
ing code.
MIR. King said the members
of the Citizens Advisory Coun-
Gil will go to the nursing home
at $50 am. tomorrow to make
an inspection at the scene. He
added that he hopes the coun-
Gil will be able to submit rec
concentrations on improving
fire safety conditions at nurs-
ing homes to the Commits
sioners by the end Of the week.
The operator Of the nursing
home denied yesterday that he
had ever been warned by Dis
trict officials of potential fire
hazards at the home or been
refused insurance on the insti-
tuition.
Normund w. Leas declared,
I'VE have never been refused
for insurance of any kind"
He was replying to a state
ment made earlier by John L.
HaVenner at a public hearing
that he had inspected the
home and found that it was q
fire hazard. Mr.. Havenner had
said that an insurance COM
pany had refused to provide
coperage for the home at 230l
Calvert street NV. as a result
of his report.
Wanted to Be Told
Mr.. Leas said IT feel they
should have told us If there
were any dangers. We could
have corrected them"
Mr.. Havenner, who identi-
fled himself as a safety inspec-
tor, said he had inspected the
nursing home in 1859 for the
Firemen's Fund Insurance
Group to determine if liability
and workmen's compensation
coverage should be provided for
the nursing home. He added
that because of his report this
insurance was not granted.
Officials of Firemen'S Fund.
insurance Group have declined
to make any formal comment
on Mr.. Havenner's statement.
In reply to question from
Mr.. King, Mr.. Havenner said
another insurance company
had written insurance for this
nursing home, but he did not
specify what kind.