Reading an old fire code book from the 70s and found a wild rule

I picked up a used copy of the 1978 National Fire Code from a library sale in Tacoma, and it said sweeps had to be licensed by the city to even touch a flue. Now it's just state certified. Which system do you think was better for keeping things safe and fair?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylanfisher1mo ago

That shift from local to state licensing... it's part of a bigger thing where rules get more uniform but maybe less personal. Like how a building inspector from your own town might actually know the old houses on your block, versus someone from a state office just checking boxes on a clipboard. The local guy might catch the weird, specific thing that always goes wrong in Tacoma basements. But the state system probably stops some small-town favoritism. Hard to say which is truly safer.

burns.anna1mo ago

But is small-town favoritism even that big a deal, @dylanfisher?

wade_hayes1mo ago

Small town favoritism can absolutely be a huge deal. It can lock good people out of work just because they aren't from the right family or didn't go to school with the inspector. A state system with clear rules stops that "who you know" stuff dead in its tracks. Sure, you lose some local knowledge, but you gain fairness for everyone trying to get a permit or start a business. That trade-off is worth it to keep things honest.