Quincy, MA – The number of people who died in home fires dropped an exceptional 14.1 percent last year compared to 2001, according to the annual report on fire loss by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). The NFPA study found that 2,670 people died in home fires in 2002, the lowest number that NFPA has ever recorded.
The latest results continue a decades-long trend toward safer homes. The home fire death toll in 2002 was 54 percent lower than in 1977 when comparable statistics were first developed. The reduction is especially significant because home is where one is most likely to die in a fire: Four out of five fire deaths occur in the home.
“We can thank fire professionals around the country who have worked to protect and educate the public,” said John R. Hall, Ph.D., NFPA’s assistant vice president for fire analysis and research, “and we can congratulate each other for our collective progress in choosing fire safety.”
The NFPA analyzed survey results from 3,460 fire departments in the United States. The study found that 1.69 million fires were reported to America’s 30,000+ fire departments in 2002, a decrease of 2.7 percent from 2001. About half the fires occurred outside, 30 percent in structures and 20 percent in vehicles.
Among the structure fires, three out of four happened in homes-that is, one- and two-family dwellings and apartments. Home fires were also responsible for 79 percent of total civilian fire deaths. Overall, there were 3,380 civilian fire deaths in 2002, a decrease of 9.8 percent from the previous year, exclusive of fires connected to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (“Civilian” refers to anyone who is not a firefighter.) Nationwide in 2002, a fire department responded to a fire every 19 seconds, and a civilian died in a fire every 21/2 hours.
“These statistics show that we have learned the lessons of fire safety, and hundreds of our friends and loved ones are alive as a result,” Hall said. “But there is even more we can and must do, so that everyone complies with codes and standards, buys safe products and knows how to use them safely, makes sure homes have working smoke alarms, and practices home escape plans. And many lives could be saved if more homes were equipped with sprinkler systems.”
Not only did fewer people die in fires in 2002, but fewer were injured. There were 18,425 civilian injuries in fires, a decrease of 9.2 percent from 2001 and the lowest number since 1977. Three-quarters of these injuries occurred in homes. Fire also caused an estimated $10.3 billion in direct property damage, a decrease of 2.2 percent (excluding the events of Sept. 11). More than half the total property loss also occurred in homes.
A condensed version of the NFPA report, Fire Loss in the United States During 2002, also has information on intentionally set fires and can be obtained by logging on to http://www.nfpa.org/Research/OneStopDataShop/OneStopDataShop.asp.
