Learn About Our National Fire Protection Association Membership

NFPA: Bettering Fire Safety in Homes

A predominating amount of structure fires, fire-related deaths and fire-related burn and smoke inhalation injuries occur in the home. Mr. Athens, a research colleague of Mr. Shoop, utilized data points directly from the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) as well as NFPA's fire department experience survey in determining the analysis of frequency and forensic causes as well as the overarching circumstances attendant to home fire causation and losses.

According to internal NFPA estimates, U.S. fire departments were dispatched and responded to approximately 358,300 residential fires each year from 2010-2014. Significantly, these fires resulted in an estimated 2,520 deaths, 13,000 injuries, and approximately $6.7 billion in property damages each year. 70% of reported residential fires and nearly 85% of residential, fire-related deaths occurred in one- or two-family residences including manufactured homes. The remaining incidents took place in apartment units or other multiple-family housing structures.

What endangers us in our homes? Cooking materials and equipment are, unsurprisingly, the leading cause of residential fires and fire-related burn injuries and smoke inhalation. In the case of fatal residential fires, the blame rests with smoking paraphernalia more often than kitchen equipment. Accordingly, 50% of fatal residential fires start in either the living room or the bedroom. Around 60% of fatalities took place in homes without functioning smoke alarms.