As Alabama fire deaths remain high, fire chiefs association launches info campaign Alabama had 84 fire fatalities in 2014 as of Wednesday, three more than all of last year, according to figures released by the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs. That number is about average for the last 10 years in the state, with a low of 73 in 2008 and a high of 122 in 2010. And statistics from U.S. Fire Administration show Alabama ranks among the worst states in the nation for fire deaths. State fire officials say that bringing those numbers down requires safer behavior from residents. That’s why the association and the state Fire Marshal’s Office have launched an information campaign about fire safety. Alabama Fire Marshal Ed Paulk says he was hopeful when the first few days of 2014 passed without any fire deaths. But then he learned that a 65-year-old man from Monrovia, a community in north Alabama, had been killed in a fire on Jan. 5. By the end of the month, the number of fatalities would reach 29. Those numbers include a 6-year-old boy and his 3-year-old brother killed in an electrical fire in their Fruithurst home. ‘Our initiative’ Paulk went to the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs conference in February, held in Tuscaloosa, and asked for help. He and around 18 fire chiefs set up a task force to launch the information campaign, called Turn Your Attention to Fire Prevention. “We’ve taken this as our initiative, as our project, and we feel like it’s our job to get this message out,” said Oxford fire Chief Gary Sparks, who’s a task force member. Fire deaths He said the majority of Alabama fires, and the deaths they cause, are preventable. Investigators often find out that victims used space heaters improperly or that they didn’t have functioning smoke detectors. Sparks said that of all the fire deaths he’s responded to, only one involved a functioning smoke alarm. So Sparks and the other chiefs have been using every opportunity to talk about safety tips. Sparks goes on the radio weekly, and he and his firefighters hand out literature at local events. He also said the task force is getting the funding for a website which they hope to launch soon. Sparks said his and other departments go door-to-door offering free smoke detectors in low-income neighborhoods. Paulk said he and other firefighters would like to see more sprinkler systems installed in homes. Some building codes call for them, but Alabama amended its standards to prohibit legislation requiring the devices in all new homes. Paulk said the Alabama Home Builders Association pushed for the exception. Jason Reid, regulatory affairs director for the Home Builders Association, said manufacturers of sprinkler systems have spent millions lobbying to get their products mandated when the benefits to save lives are minimal. “They’re property protectors,” he said of the sprinklers. Reid added that installing sprinklers in a 2,500 square-foot home would add $14,000 to the price. Doing that would drive a lot of people out of the housing market, he said. Paulk said the task force has focused its campaign on changing the behavior of individuals rather than getting laws passed. They advise residents to smoke outside, to blow out candles when they leave a room and to have a fire plan for their families. “Waking up to a fire alarm at 2 a.m. is not the time to be thinking, “What do I do now,” Paulk said. Two of this year’s fire deaths occurred in Calhoun County: a 77-year-old Anniston woman and a 63-year-old Oxford woman. Three people died in Talladega County, a 45-year-old woman in Sylacauga as well as an 88-year-old woman and a 10 year-old girl in Childersburg. ‘A bad situation’ Sparks said a major contributor to Alabama’s high number of fire deaths is the state’s poverty level. It’s something Alabama shares with those that struggle with fire fatalities. Mississippi, West Virginia and Washington D.C. are often near the bottom of the list, too. States like New Jersey, Massachusetts and Utah, however, are often near the top.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 14:23:32 +0000
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