Fire safety survey in UK homes
A survey completed in 2004/2005 in the United Kingdom reveled that in many cases, fires in the home are not reported to the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS). The survey found that this was usually because the fire was extinguished by a person in the home or there were no injuries.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) conducted the Survey of English Housing (SEH) and the findings were recently released in a report called Fires in the Home: Findings from the 2004/05 Survey of English Housing.
The survey reported the following points;
The Survey of English Housing collects an array of social and demographic information, thus providing the opportunity to identify groups within the population that are most at risk.
- SEH 2004/05 data shows that some 300,000 households in England (1.5% of the total) experienced a fire within the past 12 months. The majority of the fires were not serious.
- Approximately 80% of these fires were extinguished by someone in the home.
- Over 90% of the fires did not result in serious injuries.
- It was estimated that the FRS responded to only 22% of the domestic fires reported in the survey.
Specific information was also gathered as part if the survey in regard to smoke detectors:
- While smoke detectors are found in 80% of English homes, 10% of the homes do not have any type of fire safety protection.
- Approximately three quarters (75%) of the battery-operated smoke detectors use one-year batteries.
- Of the households with smoke detectors, 92% have one installed in the hallway or landing.
More information
For more information about the report, read the survey report titled: Fires in the Home: Findings from the 2004/05 Survey of English Housing.
