NFPA Journal - September/October 2013 - (Page 74)

>>fire analysis and research Such fires were less common between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. When automatic suppression equipment was present in structure fires in these properties and the type of equipment was known, 95 percent were sprinklers. When wet-pipe sprinklers were present, property damage was 65 percent lower than it was when no automatic extinguishing equipment was present. Between 2007 and 2011, 57 percent of structure fires in these properties occurred in structures that had automatic suppression equipment. The percentage of fires in dormitories and barracks that had automatic extinguishing equipment nearly doubled from 1994 through 1998, when it was 29 percent, to 2007 through 2011, when it reached 57 percent. U.S. Structure Fires in Religious and Funeral Properties RiChaRd CaMPBEll From 2007 to 2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 1,780 structure fires in religious and funeral properties each year. NFPA estimates that these fires resulted in an annual average of 2 civilian fatalities, 19 civilian injuries, and $111 million in direct property damage. The largest share of fires involved religious properties, with just 4 percent taking place in funeral parlors. Since 1980, the average number of reported fires in religious and funeral properties has fallen by 54 percent, from 3,500 per year to 1,660 in 2011. Many religious properties have office space, kitchen facilities, and Don’t RISK it. G DAMA ED IV E N SW STO L ELS 800-552-5669 knoxbox.com Require KNOX ® FDC Protection. A small investment in locking FDC protection may save the structure and the firefighter/s you send in. 74 NFPA JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 halls or function rooms that host meals, community meetings, celebrations, and other events. They may also provide religious education. Sunday was the peak day for fires in religious and funeral properties, with Saturday ranking second. As might be expected, however, these results reflect the predominance of religious over funeral properties in the analysis. When ana- Nearly one-quarter of fires in religious and funeral properties began in the kitchen or cooking area. lyzed separately, the peak days for fires in funeral properties were Tuesday and Friday, with the fewest fires on Sunday and the second fewest on Saturday. Almost one-third of the fires in religious and funeral properties were caused by cooking equipment. Heating equipment and intentionally set fires each accounted for 16 percent of the fires, while electrical distribution or lighting equipment caused 10 percent and lightning and candles each caused 4 percent. Nearly one-quarter of fires in religious and funeral properties began in the kitchen or cooking area. Heating equipment rooms, with 7 percent of the total, represented the second most common area of fire origin, followed by small assembly areas, unclassified outside areas, attics, and ceiling/roof assemblies, each of which accounted for 4 percent of total fires. Sprinklers were present in only 12 percent of these fires from 2007 to 2011. The average loss per fire when no automatic extinguishing equipment was present was $67,000. The average loss dropped to $18,000 when wet-pipe sprinklers were present, which is 73 percent lower than when no automatic suppression equipment was present.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2013

NFPA Journal - September/October 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Heads Up
Research
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Cover Story: Furniture Flamability
Special Report
NFPA Reports
NFPA Reports
Fire Analysis + Research
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - September/October 2013