NFPA reports various statistics for 1985
DEPARTMENTS
Dispatches
Home fire deaths in the United States in 1985 rose 19.8% over the previous year, according to a report from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
The report, “Fire Loss in the United States During 1985,” is the result of an annual survey of fire departments across the nation. It states that in 1985 there were 4,885 deaths related to home fires, compared to 4,075 similar deaths in 1984.
Overall total civilian (non-firefighter) fire deaths in all types of structures rose to 6,185 in 1985, an 18% increase over 1984.
The NFPA explained that the reason for this large percentage increase in 1985 is that during 1984 there was an unusually low number of fire deaths.
According to Dr. John R. Hall, Jr., director of fire analysis at NFPA, home fire deaths are still down 18.8% from their 1978 levels. He says that since the majority of fire deaths occurred in the home, “the importance of smoke detector use and maintenance, residential sprinklers, and escape planning must be brought to the attention of all residential occupants.”
In other fire-related statistics, the NFPA reports that there were a total of over two-million fires in the United States in 1985. These fires accounted for more than 57-billion in property loss, which is an increase of 9.2% over 1984.
Fire fatalities in road, water, and air vehicles rose bv more than 30% in 1985, to 825.
The number of incendiary (arson) or suspicious (suspected arson) fires in buildings and other structures rose in 1985 to 117,000, which is an increase of 5.9%.
