The activities of the municipal self–government bodies of the county centers of the Kursk province to ensure fire safety in the late XIX ‒ early XX century

The relevance of the work is determined by the ongoing process of improving the system of local selfgovernment in the Russian Federation, the qualitative implementation of which depends on a comprehensive study of the activities of municipal structures, including in historical retrospect. The purpose of the research: to analyze the activities of urban self–government bodies to ensure fire safety on the example of the county towns of Kursk province in the late XIX - early XX century. Objectives: to determine the powers of city councils and administrations in the field under study; to characterize the practice of urban fire prevention; to identify current trends and problems of fire safety. Methods. The methodological basis of the research was the general scientific method of analysis, the statistical method, the systematic approach, as well as the principles of objectivity and historicism. Results. The competence of the city government bodies included taking care of fire precautions and participating in the management of mutual property insurance against fire. The whole range of functions in this area can be divided into several interrelated areas: monitoring compliance with fire safety requirements during construction and planning of urban areas, organization of preventive measures, maintenance of fire brigades, as well as protection of the property interests of the population affected by fires. Conclusions. The activities of city self-government bodies to ensure fire safety represented a complex area, which included both powers and responsibilities. The cities actively implemented law-making initiatives, forming a base of fire-fighting measures for local residents. Municipal responsibilities for the maintenance of the fire department conflicted with the problem of filling city budgets, as a result, executive delays provoked the intervention of the police and the provincial administration. In general, fire prevention activities in cities seem to be a dynamically developing area of landscaping, in which municipalities mainly played an organizational role.