REDUCING FIRE RISKS FOR THE POOR

BY BRIAN A. CRAWFORD

At the end of 2003, two young boys lost their lives in a house fire that swept through and consumed their two-story residence with the ferocity of a freight train. Although most of the other 14 people in the home, including five children, were able to escape without serious injury by jumping out of a second-floor window, the two boys were afraid of heights and refused to abandon their room. After briefly appearing at the window together, they ignored family members’ screams and pleas to jump and retreated back into the home to their deaths.

When the bodies of the six- and nine-year-old were discovered by distraught firefighters a short time later, they became residential fire victims 17 and 18 in Shreveport, Louisiana, since 1999. Of that number, the deaths also represented the 13 and 14 victims who shared similar demographics: They were black and living in neighborhoods where 50 percent or more of the population is below the poverty line.

Nationally, the United States Fire Administration reports more than 370,000 residential fires annually, resulting in more than 3,000 fatalities, 17,000 injuries, and $5 billion in property loss.¹ Although these numbers represent a significant decline in the number of fires in homes across the country over previous years, one segment of our society is still plagued with increased risk factors that lead to more fire deaths and injuries per capita than any other demographic. That segment is the poor.

In Shreveport, the death rate attributed to residential fires has remained consistent from a high of five deaths in 1999, 2002, and 2003 to a low of three deaths in 2000 and 2001. Along with the deaths of the two young boys at the end of 2003, in the first four months of 2004, Shreveport experienced three more residential fire deaths. All the victims were black and from poor neighborhoods.

• In February, despite the efforts of a family that lived in the same residence and neighbors, an elderly handicapped man died when he was unable to get out of his bed to escape a house fire.
• In February, an elderly shut-in died when she could not get out of her bed after a candle in her room ignited a nearby curtain. She was using the candle for warmth because her utilities had been shut off for nonpayment.
• In April, a middle-aged man described as physically fit was overcome by smoke after making a wrong turn in his attempt to escape from a kitchen in another part of the house. The wrong turn placed him in a front bedroom instead of at the front door. Despite a considerable effort, he was unable to escape through the room’s window because of burglar bars that laced the entire structure.

In reviewing these and other fire deaths in Shreveport (Table 1) from 1999 through mid-2004, being Black and poor appears to place you at increased risk.

In Shreveport, U.S. Census records for the past five-and-a-half years show the mean percentage for those households living below the poverty line in the areas where the fire deaths occurred was more than 50 percent. Additionally, most of the deaths were close to the interior of the city and in its predominately urban areas. The racial demographic of these same areas is 70 percent Blacks. Of the 21 residential fire deaths during this period, 81 percent were black.

Although these statistics apply to Shreveport, they are representative of many metropolitan areas, particularly in the South, where per-capita the numbers are relatively similar for fire deaths, injuries, and property damage affecting the poor. According to the 1999 North American Coalition for Fire and Life Safety Education Symposium report “Solutions 2000,” poverty and education levels may explain up to one-third of the state’s fire death rates. However, in Louisiana, where one-fourth of the population lives below the poverty line, the fire death rate is 25 per million population (a ratio of 1:40,000).

In contrast, the Solutions report lists New Hampshire, where only one-thirteenth of the population is below the poverty line, as having a fire death rate of 7 per million (ratio of 1:143,000). There are a variety of reasons and just as many theories given for why the poor face a higher risk of death and injury from fire than other segments of the population.²

RISK FACTORS

Children are considered a risk factor in their own right, whether they are from a poor environment or otherwise. However, some particulars make children in poor households even more prone to fire risk than other demographics. Children who live in poverty-like conditions are often left alone at an early age and for extended periods of time. This is not always because the parent or guardian is irresponsible but more because of economic necessity. Some parents cannot afford child care and are forced to leave their children at home alone so they can maintain gainful employment. These children may or may not have had the benefit of a fire safety course and may not have the maturity to understand the consequences of their actions, such as playing with matches. Moreover, the parent or guardian may not fully understand the circumstances and potential fire danger they place their child in when leaving them unattended, even for a short time.

According to a report in The Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries, children from minority low-income families were far more likely to be killed in a residential fire than other children from more favorable economic conditions.³ The results of the study that looked at 3,179 patients admitted to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Galveston, Texas, from 1985 through 2001 showed children from low-income families were three times more likely to die as a result of a residential fire than nonminority children from higher-income families.

High crime rates also lead to an increased fire risk for populations in poor neighborhoods. On the surface, this may appear to be an obvious conclusion, particularly to those in the fire service who deal with this issue on a regular basis. In metropolitan neighborhoods with high crime rates, being poor carries an added risk of home invasion and associated violent crimes. This apprehension often supersedes the fear of fire by arson or other means and leads to increased security measures, such as burglar bars. In the years between 1986 and 1991, nearly 16 fire deaths annually could be attributed to these security devices.⁴

Environmental and physical living conditions of the poor also lead to increased fire risk factors, including the following:

• Overcrowding. Often, the poor are faced with economic issues that force consolidation of several incomes, often from different families, to secure adequate housing. This increased number of individuals in a household often leads to family instability, which has been noted by some researchers as the highest characteristic related to fire risk. In a 1978 study conducted in Syracuse, New York, crowded living conditions that led to family instability were shown to produce four times the number of fire deaths per 1,000 population than less crowded residences. In most instances, these fire victims were also identified as poor.⁵
• Lack of fire protection systems. Older, often multistoried, multifamily apartments or boarding houses that often shelter the poor are not required to have fire protection systems such as sprinklers, smoke detectors, or even fire extinguishers.⁶
• Building construction. Because the poor often live in government-provided or subsidized housing, the contractors of the original construction are often low bidders. This can result in cost-cutting measures during construction that often include eliminating or reducing the number of fire stops and using cheaper, more lightweight, and often highly flammable materials.⁷
• Portable heating devices. A large percentage of homes in neighborhoods below the poverty line do not have a central air system for heating and cooling. This leads to the widespread use of portable heaters in these residences. Often, these devices are placed in areas where they come in contact with combustibles, are plugged into overloaded electrical outlets, are connected to unsafe extension cords, and are left unattended or are not monitored properly. In 2002, eight people, including five children, were killed after a fire caused by an electric space heater’s being placed too close to a sofa gutted a recently renovated duplex in southern Louisiana. The home was in a poor neighborhood that was in the process of recovering from debilitating crime and violence.⁸

PROBLEMS

Some claim that the biggest fire risk factor in America is our indifference to fire and its consequences. S.E. Chandler and S.J. Hol-lingsworth wrote in a 1984 article in Fire Prevention that “the lack of strong cultural norms about preventing fires and the fact that most Americans view fires as an inevitable part of life, characterizing most fires as accidents, have hampered fire prevention measures across the country.”⁹ Twenty years later, has anything really changed?

As an occupation, the majority of the nation’s fire service still dedicate the bulk of their resources, including time, equipment, money, and staffing, to responding to fires and not preventing them. If putting a “good stop” on a progressive house fire is considered a victory and high-fives are given all around, one would think that preventing the fire from occurring in the first place would solicit nearly overwhelming jubilation. Unfortunately, this most often is not the case; in fact, some firefighters and fire departments look at their fire prevention bureaus and programs as necessary evils at best and a distant second to emergency response in importance.

In the past, fire prevention programs were developed to educate the public-at-large about the dangers of fires. Fire departments have given away and installed tens of thousands of smoke detectors over the years in an effort to minimize the consequences of residential fires. Numerous public service announcements were carried by television, radio, and print media warning of the dangers of children’s playing with matches and using alternative heat sources, the increased risk of injuries or death by fire to the elderly and disabled, the importance of having a home evacuation plan, and other messages.

Yet, as other segments of society have responded to these initiatives, the poor year after year still account for what should be an unacceptable number of fire deaths and injuries.

Why has the fire service not been successful to the degree that it can see a significant reduction in the number of fires that kill and injure the poor in America? Perhaps it is because the approach used deals with the problem at a level that involves universal fire prevention practices, procedures, and programs used for all populations. This approach may have been effective in the past, but in dealing with today’s fire problem and the poor, more than topical, one-size-fits-all programs need to be pursued. Some suggest that the fire service take a support role in resolving the underlying social issues, discussed earlier, that are creating the increased fire risk.

This is not to say that the fire department should begin to provide day-care services at the fire station. However, it does mean that parents faced with leaving a child unattended for any reason should be targeted for additional information concerning the dangers inherent in doing this. A number of the solutions to lowering the fire risk among the poor seem to be common-sense issues. But, consider that the National Fire Protection Association lists having an adult, age > 25, with fewer than eight years of formal schooling in a household as one of the top three factors contributing to fire deaths among the poor. (4) This lack of education can be related to poor decision making and a careless attitude about safety.

PREVENTION EFFORTS

Targeting the poor with unique fire prevention and safety programs specific to their associated risks is key to improving the understanding of the dangers of fire and minimizing the deaths and injuries that plague poor communities. To accomplish this, we must enlist the support of organizations and individuals in the community that are important to poor households, such as churches, neighborhood watch groups, social services, and government officials that serve the area.

Fire departments must develop strategic plans that establish long-term approaches for dealing with and minimizing the occurrences of fire in these neighborhoods. This strategy should be based on current and future community trends.

Statistical fire data, EMS reports, and other informational sources should be used to set goals for fire- and accident-prevention programs. This information will identify core issues affecting poor neighborhoods and help in developing educational programs that will reach the target audiences.

David Glass, chief and director of the Shreveport Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau, says his organization is exploring a number of techniques to tackle the problem of fire and the poor. Glass said the fire service should be challenged to tailor traditional programs that have been successful in the past to specific audiences and to come up with new delivery methods,

In Shreveport, the department has formed coalitions to help host formal educational programs tailored for high-target groups such as Safe Babysitting, Home Fire Safety, and Kitchen Fire Safety. Additionally, the department provides customized fire safety programs for the blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing, senior adults, children, juveniles, and hospital and nursing home staff and residents.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING FIRE RISKS

Following are some suggestions for minimizing and mitigating the instances of fire and associated deaths, injuries, and property loss in poor neighborhoods:

• Promote a public relations effort through local media that identifies those at risk and what they can do to minimize the chance of having a fire in their home.
• Improve and increase funding for existing fire prevention programs that address specific high-risk groups.
• Use a team approach. Develop partnerships and associations with individuals and organizations that have influence, expertise, and a social understanding of the target communities.
• Work closely with local contractors to ensure that all applicable fire safety measures are well known and are being used in the construction of housing for the poor, elderly, and other high-risk groups.
• Work with local advocacy groups for the homeless to acquire appropriate shelter when temperatures fall below a specified level.
• Keep accurate and up-to-date statistical information on fires and fire deaths and injuries, and compare them with fire prevention data to evaluate the success of programs.
• Develop fire prevention programs specific to children and parents (together) in high-risk groups.
• Work with high-risk communities to form fire prevention child-care networks, where individuals could leave their children with a friend or a neighbor if they are forced to leave their children unattended for a short time.
• Provide firefighters with ongoing information and training that demonstrate the positive effects a fire prevention program has in reducing the loss of life and serious injury caused by fire.
• Ensure that residents of multifamily boarding homes are properly trained in fire safety. The training might be in the form of mailed fliers or conducting fire escape drills at the complex.
• Work to promote legislation and ordinances that mandate installing fire sprinkler systems in newly built multistory, multifamily dwellings or retrofitting existing construction.
• Implement an aggressive home inspection program that places firefighters inside high-risk properties before a fire can occur. During these inspections, use a checklist to note the conditions encountered that pose a fire risk to the residents, such as substandard construction, use of portable space heaters, children left unattended, and burglar bars on windows. Following the inspections, inform the residents of the risk areas and of ways to minimize them.

Although the numbers related to residential fire deaths have remained relatively unchanged in the past five and a half years, Shreveport is taking a proactive role in confronting the problem head-on.

Other departments across the country more than likely are also seeing that specific demographic segments of their population are receiving the brunt of deaths, injuries, and property damage caused by fire.

Recognizing the problem is the first step. The next is to develop a well-thought-out and inclusive strategic plan. Continual reassessment and adjustment of your fire prevention efforts are essential to providing a long-term solution for reducing fire deaths, injuries, and property damage in poor neighborhoods in your jurisdiction.

References

1. “Residential Fire Structures in 2000,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration.

2. “Solutions 2000.” North American Coalition for Fire and Life Safety Education symposium report, TriData for U.S. Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1999.

3. Barrow, L.N., R.E. Barrow, D.N. Herndon, and M. Spies, “Influence of demographics and inhalation injuries on burn mortality in children,” Burns: The Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries; 2004:30,72-77.

4. “Burning Issues,” NFPA Journal; 1996:90(1), 104.

5. Donner, A. and M.J .Karter, “The effects of demographics on fire rates,” Fire Journal; 1978:72(1), 53-64.

6. Fahy, R.F. and A.L. Norton, “How being poor affects fire risk,” Fire Journal; 1989:83(1), 29-36.

7. Clark, Fredrick E., “Fire safety in rural America,” Fire Journal; 1982: 76(4), 40-41.

8. “House where eight died was renovated recently: Neighborhood was making a comeback from crime blight,” The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, La., Jan. 4, 2002.

9. Chandler, S.E., A. Chapman, and S.J. Hollington, “Fire incidents, housing and social conditions—the urban situation in Britain,” Fire Prevention; 1984:172, 15-20.

BRIAN A. CRAWFORD is a 20-year veteran of the Shreveport (LA) Fire Department, currently serving as assistant to the chief. A member of the IAFC Human Relations Committee, Crawford is also a National Fire Academy (NFA) resident instructor in the Management Sciences Division and is currently a fourth-year participant in the academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP). He has a master of arts in industrial psychology from Louisiana Tech University, a bachelor of science degree in organizational management, and an associate’s degree in paramedics.