Home Fires Burn Hotter, Faster than 30 years ago

NORTHBROOK, IL  -- 10/05/2005 -- Home fires are burning hotter and up to five times faster than they did 30 years ago, according to federal research.

A 2004 study developed by the National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST) determined that residential fires are more aggressive today than thirty years ago.  In the nineteen seventies, the average family in a home fire had fifteen to twenty minutes to evacuate. 

Today families have between two and five minutes to escape. The reason home fires burn faster and hotter today than in decades past relates to the types of materials used today in homes.  Plastics and synthetics comprising most fabrics, storage, toys and kitchen tools are oil based allowing them to burn hot and fast.  An increase in chemical compounds found within common household cleaners serve to add fuel to fires often through heated explosions. Americans also have more “stuff”, a by product of a consumer driven society.  Closets, garages and spare rooms are often stuffed to the rafters with boxes, papers and other densely packed fuel allowing fires to grow hotter, burn longer and faster.  

densely packed fuel allowing fires to grow hotter, burn longer and faster.  

Construction adds to the mix. The larger size of new homes boasting high ceilings, expanses of open space and ease of movement contribute to the chimney effect, allowing ample oxygen to reach flames quickly and preventing the inhibition of fire spread caused by smaller, more confined spaces and limited oxygen.

Preventing Fire Fatalities

"Fires may behave differently because homes today typically contain larger quantities and different types of materials than before," said John Drengenberg, manager of Consumer Affairs for Underwriters Laboratories (UL). "This means you need as much early warning as possible to evacuate safely. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms remain the most effective way to protect you and your family from the risk of fire."

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the U.S. Fire Administration, the number of home fire fatalities has been cut in half since smoke alarms first became widely available during the mid-1970s. Currently, 95 percent of U.S. homes have at least one smoke alarm, but 43 percent of all fatal fires occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

"Smoke alarms have been around a long enough time that most people know to evacuate immediately when they hear one," Drengenberg said. "Unfortunately, people are prone to forget that the batteries in smoke alarms need changing at least once a year and the smoke alarm itself should be replaced every 10 years."

SMOKE DETECTOR & FIRE SAFETY MAINTENANCE

You may need several smoke alarms to adequately protect your family.

• Install at least one on every level of your home, including the basement and outside each sleeping area; If you or family members sleep with the bedroom door closed, install smoke alarms inside the bedroom;

• Some individuals, particularly children, older people, and those with special needs, may not wake up to the sound of a smoke alarm. You should be aware of this when developing a home fire escape plan;

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing smoke alarms;

• Test smoke alarms at least once a month. Tie this to a monthly certainty such as when you send the electric bill or mortgage check.

• Don't disconnect a smoke alarm or "borrow" the batteries;

• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms twice a year;

• Install Carbon Dioxide detectors as well as fire alarms in kitchens, bedrooms and any room with a fireplace, stove or oven.

• As you are cleaning in preparation for your holiday decorating, take the opportunity to vacuum out the interior of your smoke detector.

• Place fire extinguishers in the garage, (Next to the entry door into the house on the wall is ideal) kitchen and one on each floor of the home.

• Make sure everyone knows where they are and how to use them.

• Keep a box of baking soda handy to use on grease fires in the kitchen.

• Never pour water on grease fires. Oil and water do not mix.

• Replace the smoke alarm every 10 years, or as the manufacturer recommends.

• When you purchase a smoke alarm, look for the UL Mark. The symbol indicates representative samples of the alarm have met UL's stringent safety standards;
  
  --Source: Underwriters Laboratories

Conclusion

As Smokey Bear says, “Only you can prevent forest fires”.  This famous slogan applies to preventing fires in your home and insuring your family escapes should one occur. Due to the findings of the NIST study highlighted in the first paragraphs, Underwriter’s Laboratory continues to expand on the findings through a groundbreaking study geared at determining how recent changes in household furnishings have changed the way fires behave in homes and whether those changes alter the way smoke alarms respond. The study will investigate and characterize a range of synthetic and natural materials now commonly found in the kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms of modern homes. The research could ultimately help improve the effectiveness of smoke alarms and improved materials that may slow down a fire’s spread rather than feed it. NEXT PAGE