In our busy world, there are a lot of thoughts fighting for the front burners in our minds. We have a lot of immediate concerns, and we aren't always thinking about things that aren't urgent needs. Because of this, we likely don't think about fires on a daily basis, because, thankfully, for most of us, they are more the exception than the rule. However, it's worth giving a little thought to the occurrences of fire, for the sole reason that if one did occur, the result could be absolutely horrifying as well as devastating. Because of this reality, we are going to take a real look at fires in America today, so we can be better prepared to prevent them.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an amazing resource when it comes to all kinds of data pertaining to fires in the U.S. This particular report from 2017 informs us of some trends in fires that have occurred and can shed light on how we can act to prevent them.
In 2017, there were 1.3 million occurrences of fires nationwide that necessitated a response from the fire department. In place or another in America, every 24 seconds a local fire department had an alarm go off and the firemen responded to the call. Every 63 seconds, a building was on fire, and every 88 seconds, a house was on fire. If you think about it, just about every minute, somewhere in America, firefighters responded to a fire.
When it comes to injuries and fatalities, most were caused by home fires. Specifically, 77% of all casualties and 72% of all injuries were due to home fires. As most fires are accidental, that is a significant number of losses related to accidental occurrences.
The NFPA study also discussed property damage. The total amount of property damage loss from fires was $23 billion, and it's typical that most fires result in some kind of property damage. Of the total number of fires, 22,500 were due to arson. This figure is 13% higher than in 2016, which only magnifies the tragedy of such senseless loss.
It doesn't matter if you're a business owner or a homeowner - just having a knowledge of how frequently fires occur can heighten your awareness, and as a result, your preparedness. Because of the catastrophic nature of fires, you can never be too prepared or have too much protection.
At Bronx Flameproofing, we know that fires typically have devastating consequences. As a flameproofing company, we can provide that extra measure of protection so the negative results of a fire are largely minimized because of flameproofing treatments.
If you are in the Bronx or any of the 5 boroughs, New Jersey, Westchester, Connecticut, or Long Island, we would love to serve your business and protect your business through our flameproofing treatments.
Please call to today so we can discuss what your business needs and offer a free, no-obligation estimate: 800-594-0117