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Beaufort Fire Department
Town of Beaufort
Residential Fire Safety
Myth& Facts
SHOCKING RESULTS BELOW
Fatalities & Injuries
Somewhere in the nation, a home fire occurs approximately every 85 seconds. The peak time for a death from a home fire is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.-when most people are asleep. Test yourself below about home fires. The Beaufort Fire Department wants you to be able to tell the facts, not repeat the myths.
Myth The smoke from a fire will wake you soon enough to escape a fire.
Fact Tragically, many people mistakenly believe they will be awakened by the smell of smoke in time to escape. Recent clinical experiments have found that the sense of smell actually lessens when people are asleep. Therefore, when smoke enters a bedroom, it does not always awaken the individual. Smoke disorients people and dulls their senses.
Myth Smoke detectors will work for the entire life of the home.
Fact Clinical studies have shown that most smoke detectors begin to fail after 10 years.
Myth Smoke detectors do not save lives.
Fact In the United States 80 percent of fire deaths occurred in homes without a working smoke detector. Fire deaths in homes without a smoke detector made up half of those deaths. If fire occurs, working smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half. In 2006, home fire deaths dropped to 2,620, the lowest ever recorded.
Myth If I teach my children at ages 6 or 7 how to use matches or lighters correctly, they will not play with fire.
Fact A recent study has shown that children ages 6 to 7 that have been instructed or allowed to use matches and lighters with their parent's permission were 50 percent more likely to play with fire without their parent's knowledge.
READ THE SHOCKING FACTS BELOW
Although the number of fatalities and injuries caused by residential fires has declined gradually over the past several decades, many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem.
U.S. Residential Fire Loss: 1997-2006
The residential structure fire problem represented approximately 81 percent of all fire deaths and 79 percent of the injuries to civilians in 2006. Between 1997 and 2006, an average of 3,090 civilians lost their lives and another 15,340 were injured annually as the result of residential structure fires.
Residential structures include one- and two-family dwellings (including manufactured homes), apartments, hotels, motels, college dormitories, boarding houses, etc.
The following table shows the number of fires, deaths, injuries and dollar loss that occurred in residential structures from 1997 to 2006 in the U.S.
Residential Structures
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Year
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Fires
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Deaths
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Injuries
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Direct Dollar Loss In Millions
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1997
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406,500
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3,390
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17,775
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$4,585
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1998
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381,500
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3,250
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17,175
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$4,391
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1999
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383,000
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2,895
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16,425
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$5,092
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2001
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396,500
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3,140
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15,575
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$5,643
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2002
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401,000
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2,659
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14,050
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$6,055
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2003
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402,000
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3,165
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14,075
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$6,074
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2004
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410,500
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3,225
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14,175
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$5,948
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2005
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396,000
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3,055
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13,825
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$6,875
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2006
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412,500
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2,620
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12,925
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$6,990
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The National Fire Protection Association has not posted the Final Report for 2007
Think Safety Every Day
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