Understanding and Preventing Fires Close to the Body

Several fatal fires start in the clothes worn by the deceased or in the furniture the deceased was lying or sitting in, and such fires are known to cause fatalities even in homes with automated mitigation systems installed. Studies of fatal fires have contributed to knowledge on how these fires happen, but there are fewer studies on near-misses and successful preventive measures. We have therefore interviewed people working with fire prevention in Norway to document what fire preventive measures they use and their thoughts on the effectiveness of the measures. They then shared what they see as key solutions to prevent fatal fires where someone is in immediate closeness to the object of first ignition. Their key message is that it is central to see the situation for each individual when assessing whether they need further fire safety measures. Understanding what hazardous situations may arise and how the person may react in case of a fire is central. Home visits are an important arena for giving information and advice, and for discovering that a person needs additional fire safety measures. Several mapping tools exist for assessing the fire safety in people's home but for successful mapping, it is important that the assessment is updated regularly and that the people conducting the assessment (often health employees with a busy schedule) have the time and training to conduct the assessments. Measures can be as simple as making sure that someone with reduced mobility who smokes indoors have a steady glass of water nearby, as both ashtray and extinguishing medium. The most expensive measure, which can also be tricky to implement, is personal protection water mist systems. Both financial, practical and organisational aspects are important for successful implementation of measures, as well as a good co-operation between the team implementing measures and the person receiving them.

Keywords: Fire safety, Fire prevention measures, Vulnerable persons, Smoking, Fires starting close to the body.