HOME FIRE SAFETY

ACCORDING TO THE RED CROSS: MORE RESOURCES ARE SPENT RESPONDING TO HOME FIRES THAN NATURAL DISASTERS

4 Out of 5 Americans Don’t Realize that Home Fires Are The Greatest Threat to their Homes and Families

The American Red Cross has just released results of a poll conducted on home fires. The findings were troubling considering the devastation a home fire can cause and the financial and emotional turmoil a family endures as they see their hopes and memories go up in flames. Not to mention there is the unthinkable possibility of losing a loved one. The National Fire Protection Association reports
that children are twice as likely as adults to die in a home fire.

As heating costs rise this winter, more and more families are turning to alternatives such as space heaters, fireplaces or wood or coal-burning stoves. The Red Cross found that families with children are even more likely to rely on these alternative heat sources. The frightening reality is that methods of heating a house cause of 74% of fire-related deaths.

The poll found that eighty percent of Americans do not know that home fires are the most common disaster in the United States. What’s more, half of the families polled are using high-risk methods to heat their homes this winter. Last year, the American Red Cross’s local chapters helped families affected by nearly 67,000 house and apartment fires. This outreach accounted for 92% of all Red Cross disaster responses. The poll found that Americans were not aware of how common house fires are: two-thirds of those surveyed ranked floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and mudslides as greater threats than home fires.

What can you do about preventing fires?
How can you make YOUR home safer?
What should YOUR family do in the event that a fire strikes your home?

For these and other questions, read Frequently Asked Questions about Home Fires.


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