In early 2004, fire officials from Maryland were alarmed by a four-month climb in residential fire deaths. It spurred a change in the state's fire prevention philosophy.
State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard announced at a press conference today, that there were 60 fire deaths recorded in Maryland in 2006, 43 of which were residential. Last year's total breaks the state's all-time low set in 1996 when there were 62 fire deaths.
This was an 18 percent decrease from the 73 deaths recorded in 2005 and a 32 percent decrease from the 88 deaths recorded in 2004.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, nationwide there were 3,675 civilian fire-related deaths recorded in 2005, 3,105 of which were the result of structure fires. In 2004, 3,900 civilian fire-related deaths were recorded nationally with 3,305 coming as the result of structure fires. The NFPA plans to release national statistics for 2006 in August.
"This (fewer fatalities) is not something that happened overnight," Barnard said. "If you look back 30 years ago, we were losing around 160 of our residents every year to the perils of fire."
He credited the state's progress to the integration of technology such as residential smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors and sprinkler systems.
"You go back further into the '60s and the only place you saw these kinds of systems were in commercial occupancies or business occupancies; you didn't see them in residential homes," he said, stressing the importance of reducing the number of residential fire deaths.
"Those are the ones we can really focus on and do a little bit more about. Those that occur in part of a vehicle crash are very difficult for us to take care of with technology and education."
A 'change in philosophy'
In February 2004 -- after officials decided to address the spike in deaths -- a summit was held to discuss the need for a stronger community presence.
"We felt like if we had a well-concentrated message that focused on basic, simple things that a family could do to survive a home fire, that it would serve to help us turn the corner," Deputy State Fire Marshal W. Faron Taylor said. "Traditionally, a lot of fire prevention efforts focused on fire organizations going to houses; we decided we needed to go out and approach them ourselves."
On the first day of March of 2004, departments from across the state hit the streets and targeted their communities by supplying residents with smoke detectors, educational materials and helping them devise escape plans.
"We wanted to switch from just saying, 'This is what you should do' to actually helping them do it," Taylor said. "That not only helped give them some valuable information, but helped these communities focus on the necessary problems."
Prince George's County Fire Chief Lawrence H. Sedgwick said the summit allowed his department to take a step back and reevaluate the way things were done. "Our department two years ago changed our organizational philosophy," he said. "We changed it to the concept of prevention/planning before the response."
Sedgwick said the changes allowed renewed partnership between the department and community to attack fire issues in order to prevent future fires from starting. The county had only three residential fire fatalities in 2006.
Taking the next step
While Maryland has made strides in fire prevention, officials said different steps would have to be taken to decrease the number of deaths in coming years.
"We have to take time to look back at and see what has helped us achieve these things and then look forward to see what else we can do, because 60 deaths is still too many," Barnard said.
Statewide and local legislation often helps assist departments in their mission, one reason many officials have been adamant about the importance of fire-safe cigarettes.
"We all know it's a tool that will save lives and property," Sedwick said. This year, there is legislation to require the sale of cigarettes that go out when unattended in both the state's House and Senate.
Over the past three years, New York, Vermont and California have enacted fire-safe cigarette laws. Laws are set to take effect in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Illinois within the next year.
The crusade for fire-safe cigarette is similar of that for residential sprinkler systems that has been prevalent in Maryland over the pass two decades and continues today. So far, Prince George's, Montgomery, Carroll, Frederick and Charles counties have passed legislation requiring sprinkler systems in all new residential construction.
There also are many other municipalities that have passed their own laws to require the systems. According to Taylor, out of the approximately 5.5 million residents in Maryland, more than two million live in areas where sprinkler systems are required in newly constructed residential buildings.
Taylor said the advances in technology and a heightened consciousness to residential fire hazards has allowed vast improvements in prevention in education, but that departments should not relent in their efforts. He noted that the fight for long-term life safety and fire safety "is not a sprint, it's a marathon."
