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Fire: It’s
A Concern of Everyone’s |
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Fire in the Home
Leads List of Top Concerns for Americans
Despite High Level of Concern, Most are Unaware of Life Saving
Fire Safety Practices: New Poll From |
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October 6, 2006 - The "2006 Fire Safety Census," released today
by Liberty Mutual and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF),
reports that 75 percent of those polled are concerned about fire in the home,
60 percent about terrorist attacks, 51 percent about tornados, 34 percent
about hurricanes, 33 percent about earthquakes and 33 percent about floods.
The telephone survey interviewed more than 1,000 Americans 25 years old and
older during August 2006. The results are profiled online at www.befiresmart.com,
Liberty Mutual's new interactive fire safety and prevention website. "It is clear from the survey that Americans are
concerned about any type of disaster affecting them and their families, but
it's interesting to see that home fires soar to the top of that list,"
says Paul Condrin, Liberty Mutual president, Personal Markets. "That
high level of concern is certainly validated. Home fires do indeed cause more
deaths than all natural disasters combined, and, according to the IAFF, last
year 82 percent of the 3,675 fire-related deaths were caused by home
fires." Despite this high anxiety around home fires, the survey
further reveals that many Americans are dangerously negligent when it comes
to taking fire precautions and are largely uninformed about what to do if a
fire occurs - steps that can dramatically impact their chances of surviving a
fire. Additionally, most Americans are not spending the time
to educate those most vulnerable to fires: their children. Eighty-four
percent of parents polled admitted that they do not frequently discuss fire
safety with their children, even though seven in 10
parents also report their children are less than fully prepared to escape and
survive a fire. Statistics show that the fire death risk for children under
age 5 is nearly double the risk of the average population, and that children
make up 15 to 20 percent of fire-related deaths. "All too often, our members see the tragedies that
result from home fires that could have been avoided by taking simple fire
safety measures," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.
"There is more we all can be doing to protect our homes and families
from a fire. This survey identifies some areas where we can improve our
chances of preventing fires and surviving them, should they occur." Risky Behaviors Are Widespread More than 90 percent of the people surveyed conceded
that having a smoke alarm, fire extinguisher and fire escape plan are all
important. However, many are still not putting even these bottom-line safety
measures into practice: ·
20 percent of Americans do not own a
fire extinguisher; and ·
27 percent of Americans do not have a
fire escape plan. The leading reason as to why: They haven't thought about
it. Additionally, many survey respondents admitted to
engaging in risky behaviors that could increase their risk of home fires.
While 85 percent of those polled answered correctly that more fires start in
the kitchen than any other part of home, 26 percent acknowledged they have
left food cooking on a stove top or in the oven unattended, and disturbingly,
16 percent reported that they have disabled a smoke alarm while cooking. Respondents also divulged other risky behaviors around
the house: ·
41 percent reported leaving the
clothes dryer running when not at home; ·
32 percent reported leaving holiday
lights on when not at home; and ·
12 percent admitted to leaving burning
candles unattended "These results show that most people have a minimal
understanding of fire safety precautions, and that this understanding is
limited to smoke alarms and fire extinguishers," adds Condrin.
"But, fire safety includes so much more -- more that we should be doing,
and shouldn't be doing -- to survive home fires and, more importantly, to
prevent home fires." Deep Knowledge Gaps Exist The Liberty Mutual/IAFF 2006 Fire Safety Census found
that many of those surveyed simply do not know about the fire safety measures
they should be practicing: ·
Nearly half of those surveyed (44
percent) wrongly believe that power strips protect against electrical fires
(in fact, when overloaded, power strips can cause electrical fires); ·
One in four (24 percent) consider
space heaters to be "safe" (they are actually a leading cause of
home fires in December, January and February); ·
15 percent mistakenly believe that any
type of fire extinguisher can put out a fire (there are different classes of
extinguishers for different types of fires); ·
Only 6 percent of those surveyed know
that having working smoke alarms in the home can more than double their
chances of surviving a fire; and ·
Only three in 10 adults (30 percent)
would evacuate their house first before calling the fire department. "It's clear that everyone should be taking more
time to learn about fire safety," says Schaitberger. "There are
fundamental safety measures that everyone should be practicing. These
precautions really can prevent tragedies, and they're not difficult to do at
all." Top Fire Safety Tips Based on the survey results, Liberty Mutual and the IAFF
have developed fire safety recommendations for families to stay safe and be
prepared. Top tips are: ·
Test smoke alarms once a month. ·
Change smoke alarm batteries once a
year - at an easy-to-remember time, such as when clocks are changed. ·
Replace a smoke alarm that's more than
10 years old ·
Buy a fire extinguisher, mount it, and
learn how to use it. Revisit the instructions every six months. ·
Never leave burning candles unattended
or near combustible materials - home fires caused by candles have doubled in
the past decade. ·
If a fire alarm sounds, or smoke is
visible, evacuate first and then call the fire department. ·
Close doors behind you when leaving
the room and building to slow the spread of fire and smoke. ·
Plan an escape route that shows two
ways out of each room. ·
Identify a meeting place near the
home. ·
Practice an escape plan - during the
day and night - at least twice a year. ·
Talk to children frequently about
preventing fires and escaping fires. ·
Do not leave a dryer on unattended. ·
Do not leave a stove or oven on
unattended. ·
Keep portable heaters at least three
feet away from all combustible materials and never leave them on unattended. ·
Never disable a smoke alarm. ·
Do not overload power strips. ·
Turn holiday lights off when not at
home. For more information on the survey and fire safety tips
go to www.befiresmart.com. The site has four distinct sections for parents,
children, educators and fire fighters, and includes fire safety tips and
information, interactive lesson plans, and games. Survey Methodology Liberty Mutual and IAFF commissioned KRC Research to conduct
a quantitative survey with a random sample of adults aged 25 and older
nationwide. KRC conducted 1005 phone interviews from August 7-16, 2006. The
statistical significant differences are computed at a 95% confidence interval
with a +/- 3.1% error margin. Percentages in the report may add to more or
less than 100% due to rounding error or occasions when multiple response
answers were accepted. About IAFF The International Association of Fire Fighters,
headquartered in About Liberty Mutual Group (www.libertymutual.com) is a leading
multi-line insurer in the |
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