Fire Safety and Education

Each year, United States fire departments respond to more than 2 million fires, or one every 15 seconds. The majority of these are residential fires (75 percent), accounting for approximately 80 percent of all fire-related deaths and nearly 75 percent of all injuries. Fires and burns are the third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under. Children, especially those ages 5 and under, are at the greatest risk from home fire-related death and injury. Young children spend the majority of their time in the home. A less acute perception of danger, less control of their environment and a limited ability to react promptly and properly to a fire also contribute to this excess risk. Additionally, because children have thinner skin, the burns they sustain from fire flames are more severe than those of adults.

Smoke detectors are extremely effective at preventing fire-related death and injury. The chances of dying in a residential fire are cut in half when a working smoke detector is present. Residential sprinkler systems, escape plans and fire extinguishers are also effective at preventing and mitigating this risk.

General Safety Tips

Portable Fire Extinguishers

Smoke Detectors

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Fire  Escape Plans

Obtaining Burn Permits

Guide Lines for Recreational Fire

• A destructive fire of some kind occurs in Ohio once every seven minutes.
• A residential fire occurs every 30 minutes in Ohio
• An arson fire is set once an hour in Ohio
• A civilian is injured by fire in Ohio every four hours
• Four firefighters are seriously injured each day in Ohio while fighting fires
• Seventy-five percent of the people killed in fires in Ohio die in their own homes
• Smoking is the leading cause of fatal residential fires
• The most common type of residential fire in urban areas is cooking-related
• The most common type of residential fire in suburban and rural areas is related to wood heating
• A recent survey indicates that up to two-thirds of Ohio households are equipped with smoke detectors