In fire death investigations, certain risk groups have been identified, irrespective of country, comprising the elderly and people living in care facilities. On the other hand, the proportion of men is important, and ordinary families are also represented. The reasons for fire deaths and means of reducing them are known. Various measures are required, but a radical reduction in the number of fire deaths is possible.
Dwellings
Fatal fires often occur in dwellings, where death is generally caused by smoke or toxic gases. The most frequent, known cause of fires causing death is cigarettes. Candles are also, at times, a common cause of fires entailing human fatalities. Moreover, deadly fires often begin from electrical appliances used in contradiction to the related user instructions or, for instance, due to a kitchen stove being left on. The majority of lethal fires occur in detached and small houses. In a residential flat, a fire can become lethal in approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
Industry
In industrial plants, fire deaths are rare. The greatest risk factor at industrial facilities lies in the smoke generated by a fire. In a fire incident, employees working in industrial facilities can generally exit the building in time, if the fire detectors are in order and if emergency exit systems are functional, even under abnormal lighting. In particular, large-scale industry production facilities and warehouses are generally sprinklered, which significantly increases personal safety.
Measures to reduce fire deaths
Research on fire deaths has been conducted and programmes for reducing fire deaths have been launched in the Nordic countries. In Norway, for instance, the functioning of smoke alarms and their impact on fire deaths was studied some years ago. Smoke alarms have already been compulsory in Norway since 1990. Finland, where the situation is the worst, has commenced research and a programme for reducing fire deaths to a fraction of the current level. Various national action plans will bear fruit later, but inhabitants themselves can take action now in order to improve their safety.
The measures available are related to people’s attitudes, behaviour and use of various protection methods:
- Ensuring fire safety. Everyone can improve fire safety through his/her own behaviour, so that a fire will not ignite and a threatening situation will thus not arise. Be careful when using an open fire. Do not leave candles or an open fire unattended and remember to place them so that they cannot ignite flammable structures or textiles. When using electrical appliances, observe the user instructions and do not overload them. Heat dwellings safely: if heating with fire, do not leave it unattended and do not close the dampers before all of the flames are put out. Air chimneys must be regularly swept. Do not cover electric heating devices. Observe the notified safety distances between heating devices and flammable materials.
- All inhabitants must be familiar with exit routes from their homes in case of fire. Whether at home or spending holidays at a cottage, it is always of the utmost importance that everybody is familiar with the exit routes from their dwelling in case of fire. If the normal exit cannot be used, family members must know alternative fire escape routes, such as other doors or a rescue ladder by a window or balcony. Escape routes must be left unobstructed.
- Dwellings must have the necessary number of functioning smoke alarms. Smoke alarms must be kept in order by, e.g. changing their batteries at intervals and testing their operation. Certain smoke alarms can also be interconnected to form a system, which is recommended for larger residential buildings and e.g. in care facilities. Mains operated smoke alarms with battery back-ups are already available on the market, as well as smoke alarm systems with battery back-ups in central units. These solutions can significantly enhance the reliability of smoke alarms.
- Kitchen stoves can be equipped with a time switch with overheat protection. When a stove heats up to a temperature at which fire can ignite, the time switch will disconnect the electricity supply to the stove.
- An electrical appliance can be equipped with a so-called fire guard device. Such a guard will disconnect a television, washing machine or other electrical appliance when a smoke alarm goes off.
- A dwelling can be equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system. The use of sprinklers, i.e. automatic fire extinguishing systems, in residential buildings is a very effective way of reducing fire deaths, which also diminishes property damage.
Technical protection measures are generally examined for their cost-effectiveness. It is advisable to keep smoke alarms in good working order, since they provide cheap ‘life insurance’. The cost-effectiveness of the other abovementioned protection methods has also been improved. One of these methods is clearly superior: residential sprinkler systems.
Residential sprinkler system
Elsewhere in the world, the residential sprinkler system has, both technically and financially, become a very competitive protection system with unquestionable effectiveness. In the USA, it has been available for more than 25 years, and in some parts of the country, all dwellings are sprinklered.
In Canada, all new dwellings in the City of Vancouver, slightly bigger than Helsinki, have been sprinklered since 1990 and, by 2005, 37 per cent of all residential houses were already sprinklered. This has produced impressive results: in the early 1970s, some 30 to 40 persons perished in fires in Vancouver every year, whereas in the 2000s, fire deaths practically never occur.
Modern technology is suitable for homes, since the installations use quickly reacting detectors. Once the temperature attains a certain point, the sprinkler quickly goes off and extinguishes the fire, minimising water damage. At the same time, toxic fire gases descend to floor level, enabling people to escape. The number of fire deaths and serious injuries is declining remarkably in sprinklered dwellings: up to 98–99 per cent of fire deaths and approximately 90 per cent of fire damage is avoided!
In new buildings, small houses included, sprinkler systems only make up 1 to 3 per cent of the construction costs, i.e. equal to the installation of a parquet floor. A sprinkler system can also be installed in a dwelling afterwards.
If recommends
If recommends residential sprinkler systems and grants a 50 per cent reduction on the fire insurance premium to homes and flats sprinklered in compliance with the Specifications for Sprinkler Systems (CEA 4001).
Pentti Kautto, Inspecta
Ari Ahonen, If
