FIRE SAFETY INFORMATION
Fire in the United States
- The U.S. has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. Of the 14 industrialized countries studied by the U.S. Fire Administration, only Hungary had a higher per capita fire death rate.
- In the U.S., more than 4,500 people die every year from fire and another 26,500 are injured.
- Each year, fire kills more Americans than all other natural disasters combined.
- Fire is the third leading cause of accidental death in the home. At least 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home.
- Direct property loss due to fires is estimated at $9.8 billion annually. To put this in context, the annual losses from floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters combined in the U.S. average just a fraction of the losses from fires.
Where fires occur
There were 1,795,000 fires in the U.S. in 1997. Of these:
Fires in the home represent 23 percent of all fires and 74 percent of structure fires. Fires in the home most often start in the:
Causes of Fires and Fire Deaths
- Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. It is also the leading cause of fire injuries. These fires most often result from unattended cooking and human error, rather than mechanical failure of stoves or ovens.
- Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in the home. To greatly reduce this risk, install smoke alarms and purchase smolder-resistant mattresses, bedding, and upholstered furniture.
- Heating is the second leading cause of residential fires and ties with arson as the second leading cause of fire deaths. However, heating fires are a larger problem in single family homes than apartments. Unlike apartments, the heating systems in single family homes are often not professionally maintained.
- Three-quarters of all fire-related deaths are from smoke inhalation, caused by the toxic gases produced as a fire develops and spreads. Just one-quarter are from the actual flames from a fire.
Who is most at risk
- Senior citizens and children under the age of five have the greatest risk of fire death. The fire death rate for both people over 55 and children under five is more than double the average population.
- Children under the age of 10 accounted for nearly 20 percent of all fire deaths in 1995.
- Over 30 percent of the fires that kill young children are started by children playing with fire.
What saves lives
- A working smoke alarm cuts your risk of dying in a fire in half.
- In order to do its job, a smoke alarm must be properly maintained. Test the alarm and change the batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions. At a minimum, test your alarms once a month and change the batteries at least once a year.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, in bedrooms, and outside of sleeping areas.
- Plan and practice fire escape drills with your family at least once every six months.
- Teach your children fire safety.
- Properly maintain your household appliances and electrical cords, home heating system, fireplace, etc.
- Use special care when dealing with kind of open flame or heat source. Keep candles, space heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves, grills, etc. away from anything that can burn. Never leave these unattended and always extinguish them before leaving the house or going to bed.
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