Beyond the Flames — Sprinkler Systems Reduce Home-Fire Injuries

Earlier this month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released data regarding home fires in 2011 and the daily averages that accompany such fires. Surprisingly, the commission found that several simple topics that have been discussed frequently in this column could have prevented many of the damages and deaths caused by fire.
The report stated that an average of 366,700 unintentional fires each year in the United States, which result in approximately 2,300 deaths, 12,500 injuries, and over $7 billion in damages each year.
Kitchen fires are the most common source of unintentional fires, with the study finding that over 147,000 of the fires began in the kitchen, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all unintentional fires. They also accounted for around 3,300 injuries, or over 25 percent of all injuries, making fires beginning in the kitchen also the most common cause of injury.
However, kitchen fires weren’t the most common cause of deaths in unintentional fires – that distinction goes to fires caused by home heating and cooling equipment, such as fireplaces and portable heaters, which were attributed to 210 of the 2,300 deaths, the most of any particular cause. The study found an average of six people die in the United States as the injuries sustained in unintentional fires each day.
All of these high injury/death characteristics have something in common – they’re all common sights during the winter and holiday season. Heaters and fireplaces are more likely to be used in the colder weather, and cooking is central to the idea of the U.S. holiday celebrations on things such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
Special care should be then when tending to your heating sources, whether that means closely monitoring your fireplace, or ensuring that your portable space heater is a safe distance from any flammable objects. When cooking, be sure to follow safe cooking instructions, and be sure that your oven, deep fryer, or other cooking device is clean and devoid of grease.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission listed several recommendations in hopes to lower the risk of unintentional fires occurring, the most prominent of these recommendations being the use of fire alarm and fire sprinkler systems.
Studies showed that there were 50 percent less deaths in homes that had working smoke detectors, and up to 75 percent less in homes were smoke detectors were interconnected. You should have a smoke detector outside of each bedroom and on each level of the home. Batteries should be changed regularly, at least twice a year (when you adjust your clocks for Daylight Savings Time is a good reminder).
Sprinkler systems, the report states reduces home fire injury by nearly 50 percent, and is significantly less than acclaimed to be in cost (only about 2 percent of overall construction costs for a new home). Sprinklers are normally heat activated, and residential sprinklers are activated individually, reducing water damage to unaffected areas.
The commission encourages the implementation of mandatory residential sprinkler laws to require sprinkler systems to be installed in all new homes. Currently, over 200 U.S. communities have such laws, with nearly 100 of them coming from communities in California.
Knoll, 20, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at beyondtheflamescmc@ gmail.com. He is a student at Rowan University.