Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers on Wednesday said that only seven people have died in fires this year compared with 22 during the same period last year - a 68 percent downturn. Ayers said the mild winter certainly contributed to the decline, but he mostly credited the impact of fire prevention efforts including the installation of smoke alarms (see Jan. 3 Inquirer story below). Ayers said he will have a better handle on how impressive the numbers are in April, when he can review a first-quarter report comparing number of deaths to number of actual fires, which would account for the good winter weather.
Jan. 3, 2008
By Vernon Clark INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Fire deaths and injuries declined in Philadelphia last year, and officials credited increased educational outreach efforts and the distribution of smoke alarms for the slide.
The number of deaths dropped from 52 in 2006 to 46 in 2007, according to year-end statistics from the Philadelphia Fire Department.
There were 165 fire-related injuries in 2007. Officials said that such injuries were down over the last 10 years.
"We attribute this to people getting the educational component" of outreach projects by the department, said Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers.
In addition to public service announcements on cable television, Ayers said, "We're taking to the streets, knocking on doors. "
A key element has been the distribution of smoke alarms. Ayers said the department distributed and installed 30,000 of the devices in 2007.
Giving out the alarms "allows us to talk to people about fire safety in their homes," Ayers said.
He said that having smoke alarms combined with home fire-escape planning and practice give individuals and families the best chance of surviving a fire.
Officials said that of the 46 fire fatalities last year, 36 were in places where there were no smoke alarms or where alarms had dead or missing batteries.
In 2005, Philadelphia had 2,272 structural fires, officials said. In 2006, officials reported 2,165 fires, marking a drop of roughly 5 percent. Officials said that although the numbers for 2007 had not yet been tallied, they expect a continued drop.
Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.
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