ETT ELDFÄNGT ÄMNE Den nedlagda brandstationen i Arby i Kalmar kommun. Brandstationen lades ned 1971 i samband med kommunblocksreformens genomförande. Foto: Erik Wångmar 1982. ETT ELDFÄNGT ÄMNE Utvecklingen av kommunernas brandförsvar 1945−1976 ERIK WÅNGMAR STUDIER I STADS- OCH KOMMUNHISTORIA 35 STADS- OCH KOMMUNHISTORISKA INSTITUTET Tryckt med bidrag från: Ejnar Lindhs kommunalvetenskapliga stiftelse. Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB). STUDIER I STADS- OCH KOMMUNHISTORIA Utgivare: Lars Nilsson Stockholm 2009 Stads- och kommunhistoriska institutet, Historiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet, 106 91 Stockholm © Erik Wångmar och Stads- och kommunhistoriska institutet ISBN 978-91-88882-35-6 EAN 9789188882356 Tryck: Intellecta Infolog AB, Göteborg 2009 ABSTRACT Following new laws regulating fire safety, instigated in 1944, all municipalities in Sweden were obligated to organize fire protection, starting in 1945. However, the municipalities were not obliged to arrange their own fire department, but were instead free to close deals with other municipalities or with voluntary as well as private contractors. Before 1945 only larger cities, ‘köpingar’, and certain specific municipalities were forced to organize a fire department. When new regulations were put into effect, Sweden was still divided into old municipalities (sockenkommuner), which remained until 1952. This study follows the development of fire protec- tion in at the local level from 1945 until 1976 when a major merging of munici- palities, which mostly remains until this day, took place. The study has two principal aims. The first one is to describe and analyse how revised legislation and the merging of municipalities effected the organization of fire protection in Swedish municipalities. The second aim is to explore decision- making on fire protection at the municipal level. In addition to the fire laws of 1944, 1962 and 1974 the two reforms on the merging of municipalities (1952, 1962-74) were the important junctures during the 30 year period of investigation. Between 1952 and 1976 the number of independent fire departments was re- duced by almost 50 percent, and this has to be viewed as a major geographic centralization. This centralization, moreover, was facilitated by several factors. The most important was the reduction of industries, and the reduced population, in rural areas, as well as the technological innovations within agriculture. Fur- thermore, two additional reasons for this centralization were firstly that roads were significantly improved at the country-side, and, secondly, that the remain- ing fire fighting equipment, not least fire trucks, were modernized. The conflicts that emerged at the municipal decision-making arena often had a geographical dimension, meaning, among other things, that the personal residence of politi- cians often meant more to their decision than their respective party-affiliation. Furthermore, Swedish municipalities were allowed to proceed with the centrali- zation in spite of far-reaching state control in the area of fire protection, resulting from the fact that ‘länsstyrelsen’ always had to approve of their organization of fire security. Nonetheless, relevant state agencies displayed a great flexibility vis-à-vis the municipalities during this process of change. Keywords: Fire defence, state control, centralization, municipal decision-making Den nedlagda brandstationen i Björköby i Vetlanda kommun. Brandstationen avvecklades 1978 efter att kommunen antagit en ny brandordning till följd av tillkomsten av 1974 års brandlag. Kommundelsrådets protester mot förslaget att lägga ned brandstationen återges på sidan 11 i föreliggande bok. Foto: Erik Wångmar 1980. INNEHÅLL 1. INLEDNING ................................................................................................. 11 Målsättning och frågor........................................................................................ 13 Avgränsningar och disposition............................................................................ 14 Brandhistoriska begrepp ..................................................................................... 15 2. TIDIGARE FORSKNING ........................................................................... 18 Inom det vetenskapliga fältet .............................................................................. 18 Utanför det vetenskapliga fältet .......................................................................... 23 Sammanfattning .................................................................................................. 29 3. TEORETISKA UTGÅNGSPUNKTER ...................................................... 31 Stat och kommun ................................................................................................ 31 Implementering................................................................................................... 35 Decentralisering och centralisering .................................................................... 37 Konflikt, konsensus och politisk kultur.............................................................. 37 Sammanfattning .................................................................................................. 41 4. METOD ......................................................................................................... 43 Urvalen av lokala kommunala exempel.............................................................. 43 Källmaterialet...................................................................................................... 46 Intervjuer............................................................................................................. 47 Sammanfattning .................................................................................................. 48 5. BRANDHISTORISK BAKGRUND FRAM TILL ÅR 1945..................... 49 Inom administrativa tätorter................................................................................ 49 På landsbygden ................................................................................................... 52 Sammanfattning .................................................................................................. 55 6. LAGARNA — REGELVERKETS UTVECKLING 1944−1976 .............. 56 1944 års lag......................................................................................................... 56 1962 års lag......................................................................................................... 65 1974 års lag......................................................................................................... 72 Sammanfattning .................................................................................................. 78 7. LANDET BLIR TÄCKT AV BRANDKÅRER — ORGANISERINGEN ENLIGT 1944 ÅRS LAG ........................................... 80 Generell utveckling............................................................................................. 80 Kommunalförbund.................................................................................. 92 Kostnadsutveckling ................................................................................ 94 Kommunala exempel .......................................................................................... 96 Växjö ...................................................................................................... 97 Öjaby .................................................................................................... 101 Östra Torsås.......................................................................................... 103 Nybro.................................................................................................... 106 Oskar..................................................................................................... 108 Örsjö ..................................................................................................... 110 Holmön................................................................................................. 112 Sammanfattning ............................................................................................... 113 8. DEN FÖRSTA CENTRALISERINGEN — EFFEKTER AV 1952 ÅRS INDELNINGSREFORM....................................................... 115 Generell utveckling........................................................................................... 115 Kommunalförbund................................................................................ 122 Kostnadsutveckling .............................................................................. 123 Kommunala exempel ........................................................................................ 124 Bergunda............................................................................................... 124 Östra Torsås.......................................................................................... 130 Madesjö ................................................................................................ 136 Mortorp................................................................................................. 140 Redväg.................................................................................................. 141 Sammanfattning ................................................................................................ 143 9. FÖRHÖJD BEREDSKAP — FÖRÄNDRINGAR TILL FÖLJD AV 1962 ÅRS LAG ..........................................................................