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Ohio Analysis: Homes With Smoke Alarms Have More Fire Injuries
by ROBERT RUTH
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Although it may run counter to conventional wisdom, Columbus residents are far more likely to be injured in fires when smoke alarms blare than when they don’t, a Dispatch analysis of the past four years found.
In addition, being alerted by a smoke alarm didn’t increase residents’ chances of escaping death during blazes, the fire data show.
Despite the findings, fire-safety experts say every residence should be equipped with alarms. “Smoke detectors save lives,” Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Douglas Smith said.
Marty Ahrens, manager of fire-analysis services for the National Fire Protection Association, added, “Smoke alarms don’t provide any guarantees. But you’re much better off with them than without them.”
One of the main reasons for so many injuries in detector-equipped residences is simple, Ahrens and Smith said. Because alarms often warn people when fires are still in their infancies, residents try to douse the blazes on their own. Such do-it-yourself firefighting often leads to injuries, they said.
“For some people, getting injured might be worth it, if you save your house and aren’t hurt too badly,” Ahrens said.
On the other hand, fires that erupt in homes without working alarms often are well under way when residents discover them. By that time, it’s too late to try putting them out on their own, Ahrens said.
The Dispatch’s analysis of Columbus fires from 2002 through last year in houses, apartments, nursing homes and other residences found:
* One person in every 17.3 fires was injured where there were no detectors or the alarms were not working. One person in every 13.1 fires was injured where there were working smoke detectors. In other words, residents were almost one-third more likely to be injured when they had operating alarms.
* One person in about every 106 fires died in residences with working alarms. One person in about every 108 fires died in homes with no detectors, or alarms that didn’t work. There was virtually no difference in the rate of fatalities between detector and no-detector residences.
The analysis included only blazes in which firefighters determined conclusively that residences were or were not equipped with working detectors. Such determinations could be made in 72 percent of the fires. The Columbus injury statistics are similar to statewide data collected by the Ohio fire marshal’s office. Although the most recent available state statistics are from 2000 to 2003, they show that people were 20 percent more likely to be injured in residences equipped with working smoke alarms.
However, the state’s data are markedly different involving fire deaths. Statewide, residents were twice as likely to escape death in residences with working alarms, the 2000-03 data show.
Smith said comparing city fire deaths over a four-year span is tricky. The data show a total of 31 deaths during that time.
“That’s a pretty small number,” he said. “A couple of fires where there were multiple deaths can throw off your analysis.”
Alcohol and drugs also play important roles in fire-death statistics, Ahrens added. If a resident is passed out from drinking or taking drugs, smoke alarms usually don’t help, she said.
Nationwide, 16 percent of the people who died in fires with working alarms were impaired from alcohol or drugs, she said.
In addition, another 14 percent of the fatalities involved people with physical or mental disabilities, she said.
“Analyzing these statistics isn’t as easy as it looks,” Ahrens said. “Smoke alarms are the most useful when people are asleep.”
Dispatch Assistant City Editor Doug Caruso contributed to this story.
bruth@dispatch.com
Box Story: The data
The Dispatch used information about 3,328 fires in 2002-05 from the city of Columbus to determine whether residences were equipped with working smoke alarms. In an additional 1,316 fires, no such determination could be made. Only injuries and deaths involving residents, not firefighters, were included in the survey. Of the 3,328 fires reviewed:
* 1,162 had working smoke detectors in which 89 residents were injured and 11 died. These fires caused a total of $13.5 million in damage. * 2,166 had no working detectors in which 125 people were injured and 20 died. These fires caused a total of $22.1 million in damage.
The statewide data covered fires in the 2000-03 period and showed:
* 13,188 fires had working detectors in which 936 people were injured and 52 died. That translates into one injury for every 14.1 fires and one death for every 253.6 fires.
* 17,387 fires did not have working detectors in which 1,027 people were injured and 150 died. That translates into one injury for every 16.9 fires and one death for every 115.9 fires.
Sources: Columbus Division of Fire, Columbus Department of Technology, Ohio fire marshal’s office.
Detector tips
- Install smoke detectors on every floor of a home, including in the basement and outside bedrooms. Ideally, an additional one should be in each bedroom.
- Test detectors monthly. Dead batteries are a common reason alarms do not work.
- Replace batteries twice a year or when you hear a low-battery “chirp.”
- Replace the detector every eight to 10 years.
- Keep detectors clean. Dust buildup can cause false alarms.
- Cover detectors when painting around them.
- Develop an escape plan for your family. Make sure windows easily open from the inside and agree on a meeting spot outside the home.
Sources: Columbus Division of Fire; National Fire Prevention Association
