As you’ve read these blogs, I hope you’ve noticed that they are created to respond to the needs we find in our industry. Lately, we’ve had increased calls from multi-family complexes to service apartment units after a fire has occurred.
Whether it’s an apartment, condo, or senior living community, fire prevention service calls by professionals BEFORE fires are necessary to keep people and property safe and buildings compliant because fires can be catastrophic.
From 2013 to 2015, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported an estimated 110,000 multi-family residential building fires in the U.S. each year. These fires caused an estimated 400 deaths, 4,000 injuries, and $1.4 billion in property loss.
It probably doesn’t surprise you that cooking is the number one cause of multi-family residential fires, accounting for 74 percent. Of these, 93 percent were small, confined fires with limited damage. Causes were mostly unattended cooking, deep fryers, and combustibles like paper and towels too close to a cooking surface.
Smoking is another cause. While smoking-related fires accounted for only two percent of all residential building fires, they were a leading cause of civilian fire deaths: 14 percent. Approximately 7,600 smoking-related fires in residential buildings occur each year in the U.S. Sixty-seven percent of the non-confined residential building fires occurred because of abandoned or discarded smoking materials, mostly cigarettes. The bedroom was the leading area where the fire started (24 percent).
Portable space heaters placed too close to combustibles (including beds) are also frequent causes of fires. FEMA stats from 2013 to 2015 estimate 1,650 portable heater fires in residential buildings caused an estimated 90 deaths, 175 injuries, and $84 million in property loss.
As a resident in a multi-family complex, you have to do your part in fire prevention. Education, paying attention to your surroundings, and taking steps to increase safety and prevent fires are keys in protecting property and saving lives. To help you determine hazards and how to handle them, Brothers Fire & Security developed a fire prevention checklist.
Even though cooking, smoking and space heaters are common causes of fires, there are other hazards:
Check this list frequently to be on the lookout for fire hazards. You might spot a problem that could prevent a costly and tragic fire.
As one of the premier providers of fire and security solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire and security needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money and stress. We provide fire protection systems, security systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, 24-7 monitoring, fire extinguishers, card access and kitchen hoods.