Fire Protection Research Foundation to Study Cooking-Related Fires
Cooking equipment-related fires are the leading cause of U.S. fire loss, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). During the five-year-period of 2006-2010, cooking equipment was involved in an average of 157,300 reported home structure fires, with associated losses of 380 civilian deaths, 4,920 civilian injuries and $794 million in direct property damage per year.
The Fire Protection Research Foundation an affiliate of NFPA, with a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is addressing this concern. Through the remainder of 2012 and throughout 2013, the Foundation will support a research project, Development of Standard Cooking Fire Scenarios and Candidate Test Methods for Evaluating Cooking Fire Mitigation Technologies, to examine three main areas of cooking-related fires, and develop an action plan towards improving overall cooking fire safety. The project will focus on the development of the means for implementing prevention technologies that are suitable for use on or with home cooking appliances. The three categories of cooking-related fires to be studied are: fires starting in a pot or pan on a burner; fires due to food spillage onto a burner; and products such as utensils, oven mitts and other items that catch fire on or near a burner.
This grant-funded research project report is slated for completion by the end of 2013, and will be made available through the Foundation’s website (http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=242&URL=Research/Fire%20Protection%20Research%20Foundation&cookie_test=1).
USFA Releases Report on Portable Heater Fires
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released a special report examining the characteristics of portable heater fires in residential buildings. The report, Portable Heater Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010), was developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center and is based on 2008 to 2010 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
According to the report:
- An estimated 900 portable heater fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 70 deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in property loss.
- Only 2 percent of heating fires in residential buildings involved portable heaters, however, portable heaters were involved in 45 percent of all fatal heating fires in residential buildings.
- 52 percent of portable heater fires in residential buildings occurred because the heat source was too close to combustibles.
While portable heating fires were small in number, the consequences were substantial, accounting for nearly half of all fatal heating fires in residential buildings. Many of these fires were preventable as human error – placing the heater too close to combustible items or leaving the heater unattended – was a contributing factor to the fire.
To download this report, go to http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v13i9.pdf. For further information regarding other topical reports or fire prevention, visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov.
USFA Releases Report on Intentionally Set Fires in Residential Buildings
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a special report examining the characteristics of intentionally set fires in residential buildings. The report, Intentionally Set Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010), is based on 2008 to 2010 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
According to the report:
- An estimated 16,800 intentionally set fires in residential buildings occur annually in the U.S. These fires result in an estimated average of 280 deaths, 775 injuries and $593 million in property loss each year.
- Intentionally set fires accounted for 5 percent of all residential building fires.
- The majority (76 percent) of intentionally set fires in residential buildings occurred in one- or two-family dwellings. An additional 19 percent of fires occurred in multifamily dwellings.
USFA would like to remind everyone that intentional home fires can be prevented. Start by regularly inspecting your home for fire hazards and removing materials that can be used to start a fire. Additional steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of an intentional home fire are:
- Remove trash, debris and other materials that can catch fire from the front and back of your home.
- Remove from your home or securely store flammable material and chemicals.
- Secure abandoned and vacant homes with additional locks. Board up broken windows or other openings with plywood.
- Support Neighborhood Watch programs and report suspicious people and activity to law enforcement officials.
For information regarding other topical reports or any programs and training available at USFA, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
Ten U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Six career firefighters and four volunteer firefighters died in 10 separate incidents. Six deaths were health related, two deaths were caused by vehicle accidents and one death was the result of direct fireground operations.
CHIEF DON FELTON, 71, of the Southern Park County Fire Protection District in Guffey, CO, died on Oct. 27. Felton died of an apparent heart attack in his office at the fire station.
BATTALION CHIEF ROB VAN WORMER, 47, of the CAL Fire Santa Clara Unit in Morgan Hill, CA, died on Oct. 27 from an undetermined cause while on assignment in a neighboring jurisdiction. He was a 24-year veteran of the department.
LIEUTENANT RUSSELL NEARY, 55, of Easton, CT, Volunteer Fire Company 1 died on Oct. 29. While returning from a structure fire, Neary and fellow firefighters were clearing a fallen tree in the roadway when several other trees fell, striking and killing him. This incident was a result of Hurricane Sandy. Neary was a 10-year veteran of the department.
CAPTAIN HERBERT T. JOHNSON, 54, of the Chicago, IL, Fire Department died on Nov. 2. Johnson suffered inhalation injuries while operating at the scene of a working residential fire. It is reported that Johnson was responsible for rescuing several residents of the house. Johnson was a 32-year veteran of the department.
LIEUTENANT DAVID MITCHELL TATUM, 55, of the White Oak, NC, Fire Department died on Nov. 5. A day earlier, Tatum became ill at the scene of an emergency response. While at home later that day, he began having trouble breathing and became unresponsive. He was transported to Bladen County Hospital and then transferred to Cape Fear Valley Hospital in Fayetteville, where he died. Tatum was a member of the department for six years.
CHIEF WALTER M. SUMMERVILLE III, 55, of the Kernersville, NC, Fire Rescue Department died on Nov. 7. On Nov. 6, Summerville became ill at the scene of a triple shooting. The next day at the fire station, he again complained of not feeling well and left work early. He was discovered dead by a family member at home. Summerville was a 25-year veteran of the department.
DEPUTY FIRE MARSHAL JOHN MCCLELLAND HALL, 48, of Bladen County Emergency Services in Elizabethtown, NC, died on Nov. 7. On Nov. 3, Hall responded to a working fire in the Carvers Creek Community. He actively participated in firefighting operations and was the primary investigator of the fire. Hall became ill at the incident and was restricted to bed rest. He was taken to the hospital several days later and died there from a heart-related cause. Hall was a 20-year veteran of the department.
FIREFIGHTER MARK HAUDENSCHILD II, 26, of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department in Fort Wayne, IN, died on Nov. 11. Haudenschild was driving a 3,500-gallon tanker to the scene of a brushfire when the vehicle left the road and rolled over several times. He was ejected from the apparatus and pronounced dead at the scene. Haudenschild was a five-year member of the department.
FIREFIGHTER WALTER PATMON JR., 61, of the Chicago, IL, Fire Department died on Nov. 11 after becoming ill while cleaning equipment at the fire station after a small kitchen fire. He was treated by fellow firefighters and transported to the hospital, where he died from an apparent heart attack. Patmon was an 18-year veteran of the department.
CAPTAIN JOHN T. SAYLES, 38, of the Pentwater, MI, Fire Department died on Nov. 14. The previous day, Sayles responded to a working residential structure fire and experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing after returning home. He was transported to the local hospital, where he was evaluated. He was being transported to a second hospital for surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm when it ruptured. Sayles was a 10-year veteran of the department.
—Jay K. Bradish
