The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released its “Fire Loss in the United States During 2011” report, which is based on fire department responses to NFPA’s 2011 National Fire Experience Survey. The report found that there were 1,389,500 fires reported in the US throughout the year of 2011, an increase of over 4% from 2010. These fires resulted in 3,005 civilian deaths and over $11 billion in property damages. The statistics also found:
- For every 23 seconds, a fire department responded to a fire somewhere in the nation
- A fire occurred in a structure at the rate of one every 65 seconds
- Home fires occurred every 85 seconds
- A civilian fire death occurred every 208 minutes
- A civilian fire injury occurred every 30 minutes
Geographically, the fire loss report stated that the South and Midwest had the highest fire incident rates per thousand people, while the Northeast had the highest civilian death rate per million people. In addition, of the 2011 structural fires, 80% were residential, a slight increase of 0.5% from 2010. In regards to nonresidential structure fires, some property types showed notable changes, including an increase of 18.2% in fires involving institutional properties and an increase of 11.1% in fires that involved industrial properties.
It’s scary to think that statistically every 208 minutes, another civilian death occurs as a result of fire. Education can play a key role in helping to keep you and your loved ones safe. NFPA has developed a variety of tools and resources regarding important information concerning fire and life safety. To learn more, visit NFPA’s consumer safety page.
By Jeff Harrington, CEO and Founder of Harrington Group, Inc.