NEWBURYPORT, Mass. – “Home fire season” starts now, and the Center for Campus Fire Safety is working in conjunction with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to make this year’s cold months safer than last year’s – when there was a dramatic increase in home fire deaths. According to the USFA, during the “home fire season” of October 2007 to March 2008, there was a 68 percent increase in the number of fatal home fires and a 67 percent increase in the number of people killed in home fires, compared to the warmer months.
Not including arson-related deaths, from April 2007 through September 2007 at least 589 people were killed in home fires. When it became cooler, from October 2007 through March 2008, at least 982 people were killed in home fires.
Through its Smoking & Home Fires Campaign, the USFA wants to make this season safer, especially as it relates to the number one cause of preventable home fire deaths in the nation – fires caused by smoking materials.
“Every year, about 1,000 people are killed in smoking-related home fires,” says U.S. Fire Administrator Gregory B. Cade. “Smokers tend to smoke inside their homes more often because it’s cooler outside, so what’s important to remember is that smoking home fires can easily be prevented.” He added, “It just takes a few seconds to light up – and a few seconds to make sure that cigarette is really out.”
“The Center is pleased to support the effort of the USFA and partner organizations with this campaign to prevent fires caused by the careless use and disposal of smoking materials. These are life-long lessons that we wish to instill on our campus population of students, faculty and staff,” said Amy Hamel, executive director of the Center for Campus Fire Safety. “Together, we can save lives.”
Smoke-related fires can be prevented by taking a few simple precautions. Smokers and those who live with smokers should ensure the following:
- If you feel you must smoke, it’s better to smoke outside.
- Inside the home, use big ashtrays with a stable base.
- Really put the cigarette out, don’t just tap it into the ashtray.
- It’s not a good idea to smoke if you are drowsy, and never smoke in bed.
- If people smoke while at your home, check for cigarette butts near the furniture and under sofa cushions before you call it a night.
- Douse butts and ashes with water before you toss them into the trash.
- If you or someone in your family smokes, Put It Out. All the Way. Every Time
Launched in January 2008, the USFA’s Smoking & Home Fires Campaign is working in partnership with 17 national organizations to spread the message about fire safety including the:
- 1. American Fire Sprinkler Association
2. Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association International (BIFMA)
3. Burn Foundation
4. Center for Campus Fire Safety
5. Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes
6. Fire and Life Safety Section (part of IAFC)
7. Florida Association of Fire and Life Safety Educators
8. Home Safety Council
9. International Association of Black Professional Firefighters
10. International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
11. National Association of Hispanic Firefighters
12. National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
13. National Fire Protection Association
14. National Volunteer Fire Council
15. Polyurethane Foam Association
16. Residential Fire Safety Institute
17. SAFE KIDS Worldwide
The free campaign materials include a CD Toolkit with English and Spanish posters, brochures, fact sheets, public service announcements, PowerPoint presentations, an engaging video of a smoking-home fire demonstration, and more. The USFA also has video and radio PSAs available. The materials are available online and can be ordered or downloaded by visiting www.usfa.dhs.gov/smoking. Fire departments and community organizations are encouraged to use these free materials.
The Center for campus Fire Safety is a non-profit organization based in Newburyport, Massachusetts and is dedicated to protecting life and property from fire at college and university campuses in the United States.
CCFS November 2008 press release