Domestic Fire Safety fatal fires

1
Domestic Fire Safetyfatal fires consumer
products
Margrethe Kobesresearcher/advisor
2
Contents

• Fatal domestic fires in the Netherlands
• In-depth research approach
• Facts figures
• Fire safety of consumer products
• Research topics
• Results
• Recommendations to national government
• Survey of consumer behaviour by National
  Prevention Week 2005

3
Fatal domestic fires Research approach

• Reports of fatal fires in newspapers
• ANP Alliance for Consumer Fire Safety Europe
  (ACFSE)
• Inquiry form to involved fire brigade
• Fire cause fire growth
• Object and room of origin
• Fire alarms
• Personal circumstances (e.g. awake/sleeping, age)

4
Fatal domestic fires Facts figures

• National statistics (CBS) 45 fatalities (??
  fires)
• Newspapers 53 fatalities (48 fires)
• Inquiry forms 40 fatalities (35 fires)

5
Fatal domestic fires Facts figures
Fire cause

Percentage (N35)

Arson/suicide

28,5


Falling asleep during smoking

26,0


Unknown

14,0


Candles

11,5



8,5


Cooking

5,5


Chimney fires
Clothes nearby heater

3,0


Magnifying glass ignites chair

3,0


Source Nibra.

6
Fatal domestic fires Facts figures
Object of origin

Percentage (N35)

Unknown

31,5


Bedclothes/mattress

17,0


Upholstered furniture

17,0


Other furniture

11,5



8,5


Clothes

5,5


Pan/deep fryer
Floor covering

3,0


Gas heater

3,0


Papers
3,0
Source Nibra.

7
Fatal domestic fires Facts figures

Room of origin

Percentage (N35)

Bedroom

34,0


Living room

31,5


Kitchen

14,5


Other/unknown

14,5


Attic

5,5


Source Nibra.

8
Fatal domestic fires Facts figures
9
Fatal domestic fires Facts figures

• Smoke alarm 4 fatalities, 4 fires (suicide 2
  smoking 1 unknown 1)
• No smoke alarm 32 fatalities, 28 fires
• Unknown 4 fatalities, 3 fires

Personal circumstances

Percentage (N40)

Sleeping

55,0


Vulnerable

20,0


Awake

7,5


Under influence

7,5


Unknown

10,0


Source Nibra.

10
Fire safety of consumer products

• Research commisioned by
• Food and Consumer Safety Authority (VWA)
• Independent agency in Ministry of Agriculture,
  Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and will be a
  delivery agency for Ministry of Health, Welfare
  and Sport (VWS)
• Aim VWS
• To reduce the number of casualties in domestic
  fires with 10 in 2006 in comparison with 2001

11
Fire safety of consumer products

• Research topics
• Safety of consumer products related to fires
  (cause and fire growth)
• Effectiveness of product related interventions on
  fire safety
• (engineering and using behaviour)

12
Domestic fires National statistics (CBS)
Source CBS, revised by Nibra
13
Difference between National Statistics and Nibra
in-depth research (2000)
Source Nibra, 2001. Causes and effects of
domestic fires. Arnhem.
14
Difference between National Statistics and Nibra
in-depth research (2000)
Fire causes in 2000
2/
15
Fire safety of consumer products

• Fire causes (related to consumer products)
• Unsafe using behaviour 45,5
• Cooking 31,0
• Consumer product 4,5
• Candle 4,5
• Smoking 4,5
• Engineering fault 15,0
• Dryer 4,5
• TV 3,5
• Washing machine 2,5
• Cooler/freezer 1,5

16
Fire safety of consumer products
Source DTI, 2001. Causes of fires involving
television sets in dwellings. London, UK.
17
Fire safety of consumer products

• Restricted flow of air most important cause of
  fire in clothes dryer
• (Source United States Consumer Products Safety
  Commission VWA)

18
Fire safety of consumer products

• Fire growth and fatalities (related to consumer
  products)
• Upholstered furniture (20) and mattresses (3)
• cause of fatality
• falling asleep during smoking
• falling asleep in room with burning candles
• Furniture in kitchen (12)
• cause of fatality
• water in pan with burning fat
• clothes ignited during cooking

19
Fire safety of consumer products

• Expert opinion
• concerning governmental intervention policy
• Members of expert panel
• KEMA Quality BV
• Consumer and Safety (Consument en Veiligheid)
• Alliance for Consumer Fire Safety Europe (ACFSE)
• Food and Consumer Safety Authority (VWA)
• TNO Building and Construction Research, Centre
  for Fire Research
• Delft University, RiskCentre
• Utrecht University, Institute for Risk Assessment
  Sciences

20
Fire safety of consumer products

• Conclusions and recommendations (1)
• Safety of consumer products mostly important
  regarding fire growth and smoke development
• USA and UK regulations concerning fire retardants
  are effective
• Domestic sprinklers are good alternative for
  utilization of fire retardants

21
Fire safety of consumer products

• Conclusions and recommendations (2)
• One third of fires in kitchens, caused by
  cooking. Further research on (1) fire safe design
  of furniture and cooker hood, (2) utilization of
  sprinklers in kitchens

22
Fire safety of consumer products

• Conclusions and recommendations (3)
• Evaluation of behaviour related policy
  interventies needed
• Fire investigation by fire brigades needed for
  goal-oriented policy-making, see USA and UK
• Difference between National Statistics and
  in-depth research Detailed information needed
  about engineering faults and unsafe behaviour
  related to consumer products

23
Fire Prevention Week 2005

• Results of survey under 500 households
• (source NBPW, 2005)
• 16 never cleans dust filter of dryer
• 50 never cleans air exhaust pipe of dryer
• 1 out of 3 households does not every 3 months
  replace fat filter in cooker hoot

24
Fire Prevention Week 2005

• Results of survey under 500 households
• (source NBPW, 2005)
• 1 out of 10 persons places burning object on or
  nearby tv

25
Fire Prevention Week 2005

• Results of survey under 500 households
• (source NBPW, 2005)
• One third of households does not have smoke
  alarms
• Reasons
• lazyness / never thought about it 58
• not nessecary 21
• to expensive 12
• do not know where to buy 6
• to ugly 3

26
Thanks for your attention