NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 24
Outreach by Lorraine Carli
ADVOCACY,
LEGISLATION,
AND PUBLIC
EDUCATION
Modern Twist
A SURPRISING HOME FIRE DEATH-RATE STATISTIC PROMPTS
AN EXAMINATION OF FIRE SAFETY MESSAGING
spend much of my work
The reasons for the higher fatality rate
life immersed in statisin one- and two-family homes during
tics related to the home
fires are well known among the fire serfire problem, but even I
vice and others, and are being discussed
can be caught off guard
more widely among public educators.
every once in a while. Such was the
Modern design and construction feacase recently during a presentation I
tures such as unprotected lightweight
attended about home fire trends given by
construction, open floor plans, and
Marty Ahrens from NFPA's Research and
synthetic furnishings can combine to
Analysis Division. Marty told the group
make today's homes burn much faster
that if you have a reported fire in a onethan they used to. Today, residents could
or two-family home, you are more likely
have as little as two or three minutes
to die in that fire today than you were in
to escape a home fire, which is down
The fact that the
1980. It was a brief statement in her preconsiderably from about eight minutes
risk of death during
sentation, but it was incredibly powerful.
in the 1980s.
a fire is higher now
Part of why that fact is surprising is
We are warning the public about these
because so often all we hear and talk
kinds of issues, just as we talk about how
than in 1980 is an
about is the incredible progress we have
the majority of fire deaths happens in
important piece
made against fires in homes, which
homes, the place people feel safest, and
of information that
encompass one- and two-family dwellabout the critical need to address the
we have not yet added
ings, duplexes, manufactured homes,
home fire problem. The fact that the
to our messaging-
apartments, row houses, and townrisk of death during a fire is higher
but we should.
houses. And indeed, the trends have
now than in the 1980s is an additional
been incredibly positive. In 1980 there
important piece of information that we
were about 734,000 home fires in the
have not yet added to our messaging-
U.S. In 2016, there were about 352,000.
but we should. It's the kind of statistic
The number of home fire deaths has also
that clearly illustrates the problem and
fallen, from about 5,200 in 1980 to 2,735 in 2016. The decline shows why the solutions we advocate for are so critical. Withis attributed to widespread use of consumer smoke alarms, out adequate smoke alarms, the life-saving benefit of home
codes and code enforcement, safer products, and the impact fire sprinklers, and a public educated about these facts, we
of public education.
cannot hope to change the trend anytime soon.
But as Marty pointed out in her talk, even as the total
As we deal with a largely complacent public that believes
number of fires and deaths has fallen, the number of fire it will somehow never be affected by fire, or with policymakdeaths per 1,000 fires in one- and two-family homes has ers who are too easily swayed by special interests that seek
remained consistent, and in some years has even increased to weaken codes, we are constantly looking for information
slightly. In 1980, the death rate per 1,000 reported fires in that will shock and resonate with our audiences and prompt
one- and two-family homes was 7.1. In 2016, the rate was nine them to take action to better protect the public and our first
deaths per 1,000 fires. By comparison, the fatality rate per responders. The fact that you are more likely to die in a home
1,000 fires in apartment dwellings has decreased over that fire today than you were nearly 40 years ago will hopefully
period, illustrating the effectiveness of code requirements in spur them to act.
multifamily homes, which are subject to stricter regulation
than one- and two-family homes.
LORRAINE CARLI is vice president of outreach and advocacy for NFPA.
24 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 8
MICHAEL HOEWELER
I
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - March/April 2018
Contents
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 1
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Contents
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 3
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 4
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 5
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 6
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 7
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 8
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 9
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 10
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 11
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 12
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 13
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 14
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 15
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 16
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 17
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 18
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 19
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 20
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 21
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 22
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 23
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 24
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 25
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 26
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 27
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 28
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 29
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 30
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 31
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 32
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 33
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 34
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 35
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 36
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 37
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 38
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 39
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 40
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 41
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 42
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NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover4
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