Smoke Alarms — Statistics

• Nationwide there is a civilian fire injury every 23 minutes and a civilian fire death every 130 minutes.



• 82 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home.



• Children age 5 and under are twice as likely to die in a fire as the rest of the population.



• Since smoke alarms were introduced, fire deaths have been cut in half.



• Working smoke alarms greatly reduce the likelihood of a residential, fire-related fatal injury by providing occupants with early warning and giving them additional time to escape.



• Nearly one-third of residential fires and two-fifths of residential fire fatalities occur in homes with no smoke alarms.



• An estimated 20 percent of U.S. homes have smoke alarms that do not work. In nearly all 20 percent, the reason is dead or missing batteries.



• Nearly 50 percent of households with non-operational smoke alarms cite nuisance or continuous alarming as the reason for disabling the smoke alarm.



• In the early 1970s, the cost of protecting a three-bedroom home with professionally installed smoke alarms was approximately $1,000. Today, the cost is usually less than $50.



• In 2004 alone:
• 3,900 civilians lost their lives as the result of a fire
• 17,785 civilians were injured as the result of a fire
• Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined
• Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $9.8 billion

Information gathered from the U.S. Fire Administration.