ACCIDENT PREVENTION: Fatal Fires Rare In Region

BENTON, WASHINGTON COUNTY RATES LOW COMPARED WITH STATE

— The death of a 5-year-old boy in an apartment fire in Rogers last week was a tragic but rare occurrence for Northwest Arkansas.

Benton and Washington counties have some of the lowest fire fatality rates in a state known for its high number of fire-related deaths.

Between 1999 and 2007, the most recent year numbers are available, Benton County saw 1.4 fire deaths for every 100,000 people, while Washington County saw 0.9 fire deaths for every 100,000 residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AT A GLANCE

Free Smoke Alarms Available

The National S.A.F.E. Home Foundation Inc. recently donated 500 smoke alarms to Washington County in the interest of protecting residents from fires and smoke.

The donated alarms will be distributed to the county's volunteer fire departments so they can hand them out free of charge to residents living in rural parts of the county.

Additional information is available by contacting Washington County Fire Marshal Dennis Ledbetter or Assistant Fire Marshal Laurie Roy at 479-444-1723.

Fire Safety Tips

Inspect and clean chimneys regularly.

If you use a space heater, keep it at least three feet away from combustible items such was furniture, bedding and curtains.

Install smoke detectors outside of every bedroom and change the batteries at least once per year.

Come up with an escape plan in case of fire, practice it and have a predetermined outside meeting space.

Never re-enter a burning building once you've left it.

Source: Staff Report

In 2007, Arkansas recorded 26 fire deaths per million people, making it the third deadliest state in the country behind only the District of Columbia and Mississippi, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Nationally, the average in 2007 was 13.2 fire deaths for every million people.

It's a designation that fire prevention officials are well aware of, but they said there is little that can be done on their end to change things.

"Unfortunately, Arkansas has ranked in the top few states for the number of fire deaths for years," said Lt. Lindsey Williams, the state fire marshal.

Williams blames the high number of deaths first and foremost on the rural nature of the state. Sparsely populated areas are typically staffed by volunteer fire departments that must cover large areas with little money for equipment and few firefighters to battle blazes.

Since the firefighters are volunteers, they are usually called away from other duties to fight fires, further slowing response times.

Despite "excellent" state building codes to prevent fires, volunteer departments are usually unable to enforce these codes, Williams said.

Neighboring states Louisiana and Oklahoma also rank in the top 10 for fire deaths.

Williams blames the poor economy for some fire deaths, as he believes the high cost of energy drives many people to sometimes dangerous ways to heat their homes, such as space heaters.

"Personal space heaters are something you need to be very careful with," he said.

It was a space heater that may have caused the Feb. 14 fire that claimed the life of 5-year-old Brenden Poe in a Rogers apartment, and that's only one of the most recent fires blamed on such inexpensive heaters.

Space heaters caused one-third of home heating fires and four out of five home heating fire deaths between 2004 and 2008, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

The association advises against leaving the heaters unattended or placing them near flammable objects such as beds, furniture or curtains.

Some space heaters have even been taken off store shelves. In December, the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission announced a voluntary recall of Flow Pro, Airtech, Aloha Breeze and Comfort Essentials 1500 watt heaters sold at Walmart stores between December 2001 and October 2009.

The heaters can malfunction, resulting in overheating, smoking, burning, melting and fire, according to the commission.

Between 1999 and 2007, 101 children under the age of 14 in Arkansas died in fires. That's only slightly higher than the 90 people between the ages of 45 and 54 who were killed in fire during the same period. Those 85 and up had the most deaths per capita, with fire deaths accounting for 10.6 fatalities for every 100,000 people over the age of 85. The 75- to 84-year-old age group saw the second most fire deaths per capita, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many older people are killed in fires because many are confined to wheelchairs or have other physical ailments that make it difficult for them to escape the flames, said Benton County Fire Marshal Will Hanna. He said others are caught in fatal fires because they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Hanna credits Benton County's low number of fatal fires to a rigorous building inspection process during construction and fire prevention efforts in schools.

"There are programs in schools trying to educate kids not to play with matches and other things," Hanna said. "It's harder to train adults."

That's a sentiment shared by other fire prevention officials in the state.

"Regardless of where you live in Arkansas, you are at risk of fire," said George Glenn, secretary of the state Fire Chiefs Association and chief of the Maumelle Fire Department. "And the three main causes are men, women and children."

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