Fire injuries: current status in Massachusetts.
Authors
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Source
Boston, MA: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2006 Sep; :1-8
Abstract
Fires are a public health concern in Massachusetts and across the nation. In the two-year period 2002 and 2003, there were 147 deaths due to fires and an additional 415 hospitalizations and 3,638 emergency department visits for nonfatal fire injuries among MA residents. Of these fire-related injuries, 8.4% of the hospitalizations and 19.3% of emergency department visits were work related. Most fire deaths in MA are due to fires in residential structures. In 2003, residential fires accounted for 77% of the fire deaths reported to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The leading cause of the fires in these fire deaths was smoking (36%). In 2003, three groups in MA experienced the highest rates of fire-related injuries: 1) males (compared with females), 2) residents ages 65 years and older (compared with other age groups), and 3) Blacks (compared with other race/ethnic groups). The total combined charges for acute care hospital stays and emergency department visits associated with fire injuries exceeded $20 million in fiscal year 2003. Fire injuries are a public health concern in Massachusetts and across the nation. These injuries are preventable through proven technologies and environmental changes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a stated goal of eliminating residential fire deaths by the year 2020, through a coordinated effort with the U.S. Fire Administration, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other non-governmental organizations. Nationally, in 2003, more than $726 million of the $1.6 billion of the hospital charges for treatment of burn victims was billed to Medicare and Medicaid.1 This bulletin examines the magnitude of fire injuries in MA, the groups at highest risk, the major causes of these injuries, and the current evidence-based prevention strategies.
Keywords
Fire-hazards; Injuries; Accidents; Statistical-analysis; Traumatic-injuries; Smoking; Humans; Men; Women; Age-groups; Racial-factors; Sociological-factors; Acute-exposure; Exposure-levels; Risk-factors; Burns
Contact
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Center for Health Information, Statistics, Research and Evaluation, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 250 Washington Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
Identifying No.
Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-OH-008490; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U01-OH-007302
Priority Area
Healthcare and Social Assistance
Source Name
Fire injuries: current status in Massachusetts
Performing Organization
Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
