Do you know who to call if this happens?
At PDR Inland Empire, we take house fires very seriously. Contrary to how it may seem, we don’t want a lot of fires starting all over our area just because we’ll get more business. We truly care about our customers and their families, and want to make sure that they never have to call us when their house is a pile of ashes. But in case of a fire in your home, we also want to promote the best practices if and when that happens.
And that’s why we’re celebrating National Fire Prevention Week. We hope you think fire prevention is important, like we do! There are few things more devastating than losing your home to a fire. It’s terrible to experience the pain of losing treasured photographs, mementos, family heirlooms and other personal items is terrible, and even more so if the worse-case scenario happens and the fire causes injury or death. Sadly, many of our customers have had to face this situation, and we never quite get used to seeing it.
But let’s not dwell on the negative. Here are some facts about house fires from the NFPA that will hopefully motivate you to get an emergency plan set up with your family members and know how to get out in case of fire!
Home Fires:
- One home structure fire was reported every 85 seconds in 2010.
- Most fatal fires kill one or two people. In 2010, 19 home fires killed five or more people. These 19 fires resulted in 101 deaths.
- In 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to 369,500 home structure fires. These fires caused 13,350 civilian injuries, 2,640 civilian deaths, and $6.9 billion in direct damage.
Escape Planning
- According to an NFPA survey, only one-third of Americans have both developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
- Almost three-quarters of Americans do have an escape plan; however, less than half actually practiced it.
- One-third of Americans households who made and estimate they thought they would have at least 6 minutes before a fire in their home would become life threatening. The time available is often less. And only 8% said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out!
Smoke Alarms
- Almost two-thirds (62%) of reported home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
- Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half.
- In fires considered large enough to activate the smoke alarm, hardwired alarms operated 92% of the time, while battery powered alarms operated only 77% of the time.
Electrical
- Half (49%) of home electrical fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment. Other leading types of equipment were washer or dryer, fan, portable or stationary space heater, air conditioning equipment, water heater and range.
- In 2010, electrical failures or malfunctions were factors in an estimated 46,500 home structure fires resulting in 420 deaths, 1,520 injuries and $1.5 billion in property damage.
Home Fire Sprinklers
- Automatic fire sprinkler systems cut the risk of dying in a home fire by about 83%.
- Home fire sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the scene.
- Sprinklers are highly effective because they react so quickly in a fire. They reduce the risk of death or injury from a fire because they dramatically reduce the heat, flames and smoke produced, allowing people time to evacuate the home.
Don’t you think that spending one hour or less with your family every six months reviewing this information, creating an escape plan and practicing it is worth a family members’ life? We certainly do! And if you do experience a fire at your home or business, please call us immediately after you call the emergency services. The sooner we’re on hand to survey the damage and get in to start restoration, the better off you’ll be. Please keep our number in your cell phone: (877) 732-8471