They may seem difficult, but one upon a time cities burned. Fire was a constant threat. Thats why new york has so many fire departments. That new buildings have been built to codes for a century or more means cities as a whole are less flammable. The concept of large-scale fire spreading across neighbourhoods has almost slipped from living memory. Thats worth the extra costs.

The curse of any effective regulation is that the day after it cures the evil it was meant to, people start questioning things. Vaccines, pasterization, not spitting in public, rabies shots for pets ... all were/are life or death rules that many now disregard because they have forgotten history.