Occasionally they panic because they have no escape plan.
For whatever reason, African-American children under 5 are among the most likely to die in house fires.
A new nationwide fire safety campaign sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration hopes to change that by targeting black households in 20 states, including Texas.
The campaign will emphasize installing working smoke detectors, safely storing lighters and matches, and creating a family escape plan, said Johnny Brewington, a Cleveland firefighter who is the president of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters.
Though this campaign focuses on black children, firefighters say anyone who is poor is at higher risk of dying in a fire. Safety information is not reaching them.
"They might be more worried about just staying in their homes," Fort Worth Fire Capt. David Coble said. "Fire safety may not be paramount on their minds."
In Texas from 1989 to 1998, 124 African-American children died in residential fires, the U.S. Fire Administration says. Nationwide, 2,217 African-American children died.
Statistics for other races were not available, said Ann Gordon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fire Administration.
But 40 percent of all residential fire deaths are children under age 5, she said.
Anthony Bond, founder of the Irving chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said this campaign is "wonderful, but long overdue."
"A lot of fire deaths are attributable to poverty, and a lot are preventable," he said. "Minorities and low-income people are dying in fires at an alarming rate."
Firefighters often teach fire safety in elementary schools. But Bond said black churches and civic organizations also need to treat the matter seriously.
Any education is a good thing, said Charles Spradling, an emergency management officer for North Richland Hills.
"I don't see this is a race thing -- it's more of an economic issue," he said. "Smoke detectors, some people can't even afford them."
Contact
For a free safety video and brochures, call (800) 561-3356, or go online at www.usfa.fema.gov. Materials will be available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, Korean and Russian.
Contact your local Fire Department if you need a smoke detector.
