Young, old most at risk for fire death

People at the highest risk of death in home structure fires are the very young and the very old, according to the Characteristics of Home Fire Victims report released this month by the National Fire Protection Association.

Key findings from the report:

•In 2002 to 2005, children under age 5 were one-and-a-half times as likely to die in a home fire as the general public.

•People age 65 and older were more than twice as likely to die in a home fire, and the risk of death increased with age among older adults, with those 85 and older being nearly four times as likely to die.

•For children 14 and under, heating equipment is the leading cause of civilian fire deaths. Children under age 5 are more than eight times as likely to die in fire caused by playing with a heat source than are people of all other ages.

•In 2005, home structure fire deaths were down 45 percent and injuries were down 35 percent compared to 1980.

•Males have a 30 percent higher risk of home fire death than females.

•Smoking materials have historically caused the largest number of civilian deaths in home structure fires. However, in 2002 to 2005, heating equipment and smoking materials each accounted for 24 percent of civilian fire deaths. Cooking equipment continues to be the leading cause of civilian fire injuries.

•Fire deaths due to smoke inhalation outnumber deaths due to burns.

National Fire Protection Association offers the following tips to help be fire-safe at home:

Watch when cooking: Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. Turn off the stove when leaving the kitchen for any amount of time.

Smoke outside: Ask smokers to smoke outside. Have sturdy, deep ashtrays on hand.

Keep matches and lighters out

of reach: Keep matches and lighters up high, out of reach of children, preferably in a cabinet with a child-proof lock.

Inspect electrical cords: Replace cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs or loose connections.

Be careful when using candles: Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.

Have a home fire escape plan: Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.

Install smoke alarms: Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home so that when one sounds, they all sound.

Test smoke alarms: Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace batteries once a year or when the alarm "chirps" to announce the battery is low. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.

Install sprinklers: Install residential fire sprinklers when building or remodeling a home. Sprinklers can contain and may extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive.

For more information, visit www.nfpa.org.