Activity Report 2004, Fire-Related Injury Prevention

CDC is working to prevent home and recreation-related injuries through research projects and nearly 30 grants and cooperative agreements. Priority areas include injuries caused by residential fires, falls among older adults, and supervision of children. Additional areas of activity include sports and recreation-related injuries, including drowning prevention, and unintentional poisonings.

Fire-Related Injury Prevention

Residential fires accounted for 76% of fire-related injuries and 79% of fire-related deaths in 2002; in this year alone, more than 401,000 home fires in the United States claimed the lives of 2,670 people and injured another 14,050(Karter 2003).

Those at greatest risk of sustaining fire-related injuries are adults age65 years and older and children ages five years and younger; African Americans, American Indian/Alaska Natives; rural dwellers; and persons living in substandard housing or manufactured homes (CDC 1998; Runyan et al. 1992; Parker et al. 1993)

Programs

Smoke alarm installation and fire-safety education —
CDC has funded states to install smoke alarms and to provide fire-safety education in high-risk communities, targeting households with children age 5 years and younger and adults age 65 years and older. An informal sample of program homes found that since 1998, an estimated 610 lives may have been saved thus far. In addition, program staff have canvassed more than 280,000 homes and installed more than213,000 long-lasting smoke alarms.

Challenge: To eliminate residential fire deaths by 2020 —
CDC works in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration (part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and several nongovernmental organizations to coordinate a national effort to eliminate residential fire deaths by the year 2020. The partners have initiated activities related to surveillance, research, community programs, and marketing.