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Hazards of Poor Fire Prevention

Fire safety and prevention include the measures that are taken prevent or reduce the possibility of a fire. Fire disasters are preventable, yet still cause injury, damage to property, and even death each year in the workplace, at home and in public places.

  1. Smoke Inhalation

    • According to the US Fire Administration, an average of 2,919 civilians lost their lives while 14,081 were injured annually due to residential structure fires between 2000 and 2009. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that fires and explosions were responsible for 3 percent of workplace fatalities in 2007. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most victims of fires actually die from toxic gases and smoke and not from burns. When there is a fire, deadly gases and smoke spread faster and much further than fire, resulting in the death of some fire victims from the inhalation of smoke and toxic gases.

      A fire might break out when a family is sleeping, meaning they are unaware of the fire until it is too late. This is the reason why smoke alarms should be installed in different parts of the house. When a smoke alarm detects smoke, it alerts the occupants of the house by sounding a loud alarm which gives them enough time to escape and, perhaps, contact the fire department in time to save their property.

    Medical Costs

    • According to the CDC, fire and burn injuries represent about 2 percent of the total costs of injuries annually, which amounts to $7.5 billion. According to CDC statistics, male injuries result in $4.8 billion or 64 percent of the total cost of burn and fire injuries, while female injuries result in $3 billion or 2 percent of the total costs of annual fire injuries. It also states that hospitalized fire and burn injuries cost 1 percent of the total cost of annual hospitalized injuries while nonhospitalized fire injuries represent 2 percent of the total annual nonhospitalized injuries, costing $3 billion.

    Death

    • The CDC reports that deaths from burns and fires are the third leading cause of fatal home injury. It also states that the United States has the eighth highest fire mortality rate among the 25 developed countries for which statistics are available.

    Loss of Property

    • One of the hazards of poor fire prevention is the loss of property. Those property owners who have adequate insurance might be able to recover their property, but there are some things which cannot be replaced easily such as photos and other things which have sentimental value attached to them.

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