Blacks more likely to die in home fires
More than half of the residential fire deaths last year were minorities who lived in homes with either no smoke detectors, or ones where it wasn’t working. No alarm sounding causes a delay of notification to 911, and usually is the key to life and death, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
In 2009, 31 perished in residential fires: 20 Blacks, seven whites and four Hispanics. Thirteen of the homes had no smoke detectors; eight had non-working detectors; six had working detectors; and no determination could be made in four of the homes, according to statistics from the fire department.
Seniors and toddlers accounted for the majority of the deaths and the deadliest month was January, with 11 fatalities.
The previous year, there were 18 fire deaths, the lowest in 40 years, according to the department.
“Having a smoke detector and maintaining working batteries for them is essential for any home. If a home doesn’t have a smoke detector, they can visit their neighborhood fire station to get one. For the homes with smoke alarms, we stress the importance of checking the alarm to make sure it’s working,” CFD Media Director Larry Langford told the Defender.
Nationally, approximately 70 percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke detectors or no working smoke detectors, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Blacks account for less than 13 percent of the U.S. population, but are disproportionately affected by home fires, making up 25 percent of all fire deaths.
The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago usually responds to an average of three to four disasters every day in the Chicagoland area. The majority of the disasters are home fires.
“In most cases, there was no working smoke detector,” said Martha Carlos, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Most of the city’s fires were on the South and West Sides in predominantly minority communities, in either 2- or 3-story apartment dwellings. Three percent of the fires occurred in single-story homes and 6 percent were in high-rises, said Langford.
Several factors – including overloaded electrical outlets, additional heating methods in the winter season and cooking – come into play when residential fires occur, he said.
“Most of the homes on the South and West Sides, where a great number of minorities reside, are older. Oftentimes if they haven’t been updated, there’s still one outlet in each room. When that’s the case, extension cords are used and an overload can happen,” said Langford.
Newer homes have multiple electrical outlets that allow a resident to safely plug in multiple items in a room, he said.
Langford said traditional electrical outlets carry 15 amps. When there’s only one outlet in a room, that’s not enough. A clock, lamp and television, for example, won’t be able to fit in one outlet. That’s when an extension cord is used, causing an eventual overload.
Often, extension cords are covered up by a rug so no one in the home trips over it. The confinement by the rug also does damage that could spark an electrical fire, he said.
Blazes caused by space heaters are also common, said Langford.
“Some people still have the older-style space heaters where you can see the bright orange coils. Those are very dangerous. Anything near them such as clothing, bedding, rugs and paper can ignite. And, again, if you’re using an extension cord with the heater, that can be double trouble,” he said.
Cooking fires have also been the culprit when some have forgotten they had something cooking on the stove, the department said.
Last April, a man died in a basement apartment fire on the West Side. Crosby Lipscomb and two other men were home when the fire, a suspected cooking accident, broke out. Lipscomb didn’t make it out and his body was discovered near the apartment’s door two days later.
And while many have safety mechanisms in their home to prevent burglary such as padlocks and bars on doors and windows, that can delay an escape if fire breaks out, said Langford.
“It’s fine to have those things in place, but they should never be locked while you’re home. If there’s a fire, you need to get out quickly, not look for keys to open the locks and bars to get out,” he said.
But again, Langford stressed, “If you have a smoke detector that is working, when smoke hits, the alarm will sound. A person will be able to call 911 immediately and get out the home. If there’s no warning from an alarm, it can delay you from getting to safety and calling the fire department.”
To help with fire safety education, the Red Cross’s Team Firestopper safety fairs have been organized for several neighborhoods, including Englewood, North Lawndale and Roseland, and in Aurora, Joliet and Waukegan, said Carlos.
The program conducts safety seminars, home hazard hunts and gives residents fire safety and emergency preparedness tools so they are ready in case fire breaks out at home.
The Red Cross also recommend families have an escape route that is practiced a few times each year, contact cards for each family member and a “To Go” bag ready that includes a change of clothes, toothbrush, snacks, important documents and copies of prescription medications.
“The ‘grocery list’ is vital because oftentimes someone that’s on medication will need it within a few hours after the fire. They’ll need to have a copy of their prescription to get it filled so they can stay on course with their regimen,” Carlos added.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
