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September 15, 2011

Focus on Fire Safety: Protect Your Family from Fire

Fires can strike anywhere - in structures, buildings, automobiles, and the outdoors - but fires that affect our homes are often the most tragic and the most preventable. Over 75% percent of all fire fatalities occur in home fires.

This year's National Fire Prevention Week theme is "Protect Your Family from Fire." You can protect your family by:

1. Installing smoke alarms on every level of your home,
2. Testing smoke alarms once a month,
3. Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year, and
4. Making and practicing a home fire escape plan.

Families can dramatically increase their chances of surviving a fire simply by installing and maintaining working smoke alarms.

Smoke Alarms

Fires can occur in a variety of ways and in any room of your home. But no matter where or how, having a smoke alarm is the first key step towards your family's safety. A smoke alarm stands guard around the clock and, when it first senses smoke, it sounds a shrill alarm. This often allows a family the precious but limited time it takes to escape.

Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are considered to be one of the best and least expensive means of providing an early warning of a potentially deadly fire and could reduce the risk of dying from a fire in your home by almost half.

Learn About Smoke Alarms >>

Residential Fire Sprinklers

Smoke alarms can only alert you and your family to a fire in the home - they cannot contain or extinguish a fire. Residential sprinkler systems can!

Using quick response sprinklers and approved piping, homes can be built or even retrofitted to include low-cost automatic sprinkler systems connected to the domestic water supply.

Most importantly, sprinklers give occupants extra time to escape from a burning home.

Learn About Residential Fire Sprinklers >>

Children as young as three years old can follow a fire escape plan they have practiced often. Yet, many families don't have detailed escape plans, and those that do usually don't practice them.

Escape Plans

In the event of a fire, remember - time is the biggest enemy and every second counts! Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire.

It is important to:

• Practice your escape plan every month.
• Plan two ways out of every room.
• Leave your home when a fire occurs.
• Designate a meeting place away from your home.
• Get out and stay out! Never return to a burning building!

Learn How to Make an Escape Plan >>

Fire Extinguishers

The use of a fire extinguisher in the hands of a trained adult can be a life and property saving tool. However, a majority of adults have not had fire extinguisher training and may not know how and when to use them. Fire extinguisher use requires a sound decision making process and training on their proper use and maintenance.

How to Decide If and When You Should Use a Fire Extinguisher >>

Sound Decision Making. Training. Maintenance.

All are required to safely control a fire with an extinguisher. For this reason, USFA recommends that only those trained in the proper use and maintenance of fire extinguishers consider using them when appropriate.

Home Fire Prevention Tips

You can prevent the loss of life and property resulting from fire by being able to identify potential hazards and following the safety tips below.

• Smoking >>
• Bedrooms >>
• Cooking >>
• Heating >>
• Electrical Appliances >>

  Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings

  Download the Report (PDF, 1 Mb) >>

  Findings:

  • Smoking is the leading cause of fatal residential building fires.
  • Bedrooms (55 percent) are the leading location where civilian fire fatalities occur in residential buildings.
  • Ninety-one percent of all civilian fatalities in residential building fires involve thermal burns and smoke inhalation.
  • Fifty-one percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. This period also accounts for 49 percent of fatal fires.
  • Seventy percent of fire victims in residential buildings were escaping (36 percent) or sleeping (34 percent) at the time of their deaths.
  • Males accounted for 57 percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings; women accounted for 43 percent of the fatalities.
  • Approximately 43 percent of civilian fatalities in residential building fires are between the ages of 40 and 69.
  • Thirteen percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings were less than 10 years old.