Every year, cash-strapped local governments are faced with the decision of what to cut from their annual budgets. In many jurisdictions, fire departments continue to be at the center of those conversations, due in large part to the dwindling number of actual fire responses. In many municipalities personnel cost take up over 90 percent of fire-department budgets, which generally are local governments' second-highest general-fund expense, behind only the costs of police departments. The combination of high costs and fewer fires has caused local leaders to conduct a cost versus benefit analysis as they examine the potential outcomes of closing fire stations and reassigning firefighters to the remaining units.
In a study that was conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2014, they reported that fire departments nationwide responded to 1.2 million fires in 2014. That number accounted for just 4 percent of their actual calls for service, while two-thirds (64 percent) of fire department calls were for medical aid or rescue responses, accounting for more than three times the call volume as it did in 1984.
But before you think about downsizing your municipal fire department, here is one survey you should think about conducting: What percentage of your community's population is made up of baby boomers? In January of 2011, the oldest members of the baby-boomer generation celebrated their 65th birthdays. According to the Pew Research Center, every day for the next 19 years 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65. This cohort of Americans represents approximately 26 percent of the U.S. population.
Given those numbers, it shouldn't be surprising that the age distribution of home fire deaths and injuries is changing. The percentage of individuals 65 and older who were injured or died in fires rose from 19 percent in 1980 to 31 percent in 2011, according to an NFPA study, and the annual increase has seen minimal fluctuation since then.
The 1.2 million fires that occurred in 2014 in this country killed 3,275 people and injured another 15,775, and approximately 5,900 of those 19,050 victims were 65 or older. The statistics make clear that the chance of being injured or dying in a fire steadily increases as a person ages: Individuals 65 and older are three times more likely than the general population to be the victim of a fire injury or fatality.
As more boomers transition into this age demographic, the fire service will need to take a proactive approach, drawing on its successes of the past 30 years that have helped to reduce the overall number of fires to the low numbers we see today. Public education and community engagement focusing on the need for working smoke alarms and sprinklers in homes and businesses have been instrumental to that success, reducing both the occurrence of fires and the injuries and deaths that they produce. Interactive school and recreation initiatives have also introduced children to fire and life safety. It's time for the fire service to once again follow the data to provide messaging and public education that specifically targets an aging population.
Statistics show that the three leading causes of fire-related injuries and death among baby boomers are cooking, smoking materials and heating equipment. To raise awareness of these dangers, the fire service will need to enlist ambassadors from the community, including the local media, elected officials and community leaders, neighborhood associations, and places of worship. What information and steps can your agency provide to help prevent fire deaths among baby boomers?
- Stay alert: Cooking is the number one cause of home fire injuries and deaths. To prevent cooking fires, you must be alert. This will not happen if you are sleepy, have consumed alcohol, or have taken medicine or drugs that make you drowsy. Whether the food that you’re cooking is on an open burner or in the stove, stay in the kitchen with it to reduce the risk of a fire occurring. Be sure to keep anything that can catch fire away from heat sources.
- Get involved: Families that have baby boomer relatives that may live alone you are reminded that it is imperative that you check up on them frequently to ensure their safety. Your presence may bring awareness to a problem that they may not see, which could help to avoid a tragic incident from occurring where they may be seriously injured or even die. 9-1-1 is always available in the event of an emergency, but in those states where they have smoke alarm installation programs or non-emergency assistance is required, calling 3-1-1 is always an option.
- Environmental Safety Checks: When fire personnel respond to EMS-related calls for service in the homes of baby boomers, it is a perfect opportunity to conduct an environmental safety check. This consist of checking the lighting in the home, performing a safety check of the wiring for appliances and electrical outlets, and making recommendations about eliminating hazards that could block means of egress out of the home in the event of a fire.
Advances in technology can also play an important part. One in three people over the age of 60, and fully half of those over 75, have difficulty with or cannot hear the high-frequency sound notifications that standard household smoke alarms produce. But devices that, triggered by smoke alarms, activate high-intensity strobe lights, pillow or bed shakers, a loud low-pitched sound, or a combination of these alerts are now available. Educating people about these devices should be on the agenda of every local fire service.
The goal of every fire department is to have zero fire-related deaths every year. By identifying the needs of the community, forming sustainable partnerships and dedicating the necessary organizational resources, there's a real chance that zero fire deaths can go from being the goal to being the norm.
SAMUEL JOHNSON JR. is the chief public information officer for the Baltimore City Fire Department. He has 10 years of public safety experience in the public and private sectors. Johnson has been the recipient of local and national accolades and was recognized by the Baltimore Business Journal as one of the "People on the Move," and in 2015 Forbes magazine honored him as one of the country's top 30 law and policy professionals under the age of 30. He holds a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University's Public Safety Executive Leadership Program.
