Fire Prevention Week

October 9-15, 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.

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.

Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings

  • 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.