Fire death rate in America stable, according to NFPA study
The number of fire deaths last year remained constant with those of the mid80s, says the National Fire Protection Association, signifying a need to boost public education efforts and renew attention to smoke detectors.
The NFPA surveyed fire departments throughout the country and found that 5,810 civilian fire deaths were reported last year. That’s only 40 fewer deaths than the number reported in 1986, and it’s a 3.5 percent decrease from 1982 statistics, the year that marked the end of the last sustained decline in fire deaths. Fires in the home last year claimed 4,570 lives and accounted for 78 percent of all fire deaths.
Civilian fire injuries climbed 5 percent last year from 1986 to 28,215; property damage also increased 5 percent to an estimated $7 million. The number of structural arson fires was down about 5 percent to 105,000, yet the loss of life they caused was up. And while the number of structure fires was down last year by about 5 percent, brush, grass, and wildland fires were up about 10 percent to 553,000. Drought conditions this year will likely boost that statistic even higher, says the NFPA.
Michael J. Karter, Jr., a senior statistician for the NFPA and author of the 1987 fire death study, says certain areas must receive attention in order to reduce the country’s fire problem. He cites a need for more widespread public fire safety education; renewed attention to smoke detectors (more and more homes have smoke detectors that don’t work); wider use of residential sprinklers; and development of products such as a less fire-prone cigarette or a child-resistant lighter.
