Fire Deaths and Injuries: Fact Sheet
Overview
Deaths from fires and burns are the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States and the third leading cause of fatal home injury. The United State’s mortality rate from fires ranks sixth among the 25 developed countries for which statistics are available (International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics 2003).
Although the number of fatalities and injuries caused by residential fires has declined gradually over the past several decades, many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem.
Occurrence and Consequences
On average in the United States in 2005, someone died in a fire about every 2 hours (143 minutes), and someone was injured every 29 minutes.
Four out of five U.S. fire deaths in 2005 occurred in homes. In 2005, fire departments responded to 396,000 home fires in the United States, which claimed the lives of 3,030 people (not including firefighters) and injured another 13,825, not including firefighters.
* Most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns.
* Smoking is the leading cause of fire-related deaths.
* Cooking is the primary cause of residential fires .
General Fire Prevention Tips
Of course, the best way to practice fire safety is to make sure a fire doesn't break out in the first place. That means you should always be aware of potential hazards in your home. Start by keeping these tips in mind:
*Check all electrical appliances, cords, and outlets
*Are your electrical appliances in good condition, without loose or frayed cords or plugs?
*Are your outlets overloaded with plugs from the TV, computer, printer, video game system, and stereo?
*Are you overusing an extension cord?
*Do the light fixtures in your home contain bulbs that are the correct wattage?
*Does your home contain GFCIs (ground-fault circuit interrupters) and/or AFCIs (arc-fault circuit interrupters), which prevent electrical shock and fire by shutting off faulty circuits?
Look around your house for potential problems. And unless you're a trained electrician, be careful about do-it-yourself electrical projects. Studies have shown that many home fires are caused by improper installation of electrical devices.
Other tips:
Replace or professionally repair any appliances that spark, smell unusual, or overheat.
Don't run electrical wires under rugs.
Make sure lamps and night-lights are not touching bedspreads, drapes, or other fabrics.
Use caution when using electric blankets.
Don't let kids use kitchen appliances by themselves and supervise any art or science projects that involve electrical devices.
Cover any outlets that are not in use with plastic safety covers if you have toddlers or young children in your home.
Be especially vigilant about portable heaters
The number of residential fires always goes up during colder months, peaking between December and February. Portable space heaters substantially contribute to this increase. Before plugging in your space heater, make sure you know how to use it safely:
Carefully read the directions for its use.
Never place a space heater where a child or pet could accidentally knock it over.
Never place a space heater too close to a bed, especially a child's bed.
Keep newspapers, magazines, and fabrics from curtains, clothes, or bedding away from space heaters, radiators, and fireplaces.
Heaters should be at least 3 feet from anything flammable.
Captain Tommy Barber has been visiting schools and organizations teaching fire safety and sharing valuable tips.
If you would like further education on fire safety, please call Station 1 at 502-863-7853 and ask for Captain Tommy Barber.
Smoke Alarms Safety Tips
Make sure all smoke alarms are in working order
It's a fact — having a smoke alarm in the house cuts your risk of dying in a fire in half. If your home doesn't have smoke alarms, now is the time to install them on every level of your home and in each bedroom. If possible, choose one with a 10-year lithium battery. If your smoke alarm uses regular batteries, remember to replace them every year (hint: change your batteries when you change your clock back from Daylight Saving Time in the fall). Test your smoke alarms monthly, and be sure your kids are familiar with the sound of the alarm. Almost 60% of all fatal residential fires occur in homes that don't have smoke alarms, so this may be the single most important thing you can do to keep your family safe from fires.
Because smoke rises, smoke detectors should always be placed on ceilings or high on walls. If a smoke detector near the kitchen goes off while you're cooking, do not take the battery out of it — you may forget to replace it. Open the doors and windows instead. Or you might consider installing a rate-of-rise heat detector for places like the kitchen, where smoke or steam from cooking are likely to cause false alarms. These alarms can sense when the temperature reaches a set critical point or when it rises by more than a certain number of degrees a minute.
If you're having a new home built or remodeling an older home, you may also want to consider adding a home sprinkler system. These are already found in many apartment buildings and dormitories.
