Abstract
Much has changed in the nearly four decades since the America Burning report was issued in 1973 and revisited in 1980. The number of fires and fire deaths in the United States has reduced dramatically and that progress has unfortunately led to fire safety taking a back seat to other societal concerns that seem more pressing. To understand the headway that has been made and the challenges that remain several data sets were analysed and trends studied in detail. Through the lens of the Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem areas of progress as well as where more work is needed were identified.
While the presentation will reference success in several occupancies such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and hotels, the main focus that emerged from the study is home fires. Homes have consistently accounted for the largest share of reported structure fires and most of the civilian fire deaths and injuries. And although there have been fewer fires in the US than in past decades, statistically, if a home fire is reported, occupants are more likely to die today than 40 years ago.
Abstract
Birgitte Messerschmidt is Director, Applied Research, National Fire Protection Association. She is responsible for NFPA’s Research Strategy including global research outreach and manages research on fire problems and other safety issues (e.g. electrical deaths and injuries, CO incidents) using statistical data, detailed incident information, and reviews of relevant literature/research. She has a M. Sc. In Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and has spent her entire career working on fire safety issues. Making our built environment more resilient to fire through better understanding of the impact of construction products and methods, as well as testing procedures and policy has been a career long passion. She has been involved in testing and research as well as standardization and advocacy. She has published and presented numerous papers on fire safety issues.