Fire Safety Strategies to Reduce Mortality in Dwellings Occupied by Elderly People: The Spanish Case

Abstract

77% of fatal fires in Spain take place in residential buildings, and more than 60% of deaths are people over 65 years old. The collection of fire loss data in Spain is poorly regulated and it does not have homogeneity. This makes it extremely difficult to study the fire problem and the effectiveness of different safety strategies in general, and more specifically with relation to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. As first step to assess the measures aimed to reduce mortality in residential buildings, a methodology for collecting fire data has been developed, based on information extracted from the media. Information on 289 fatal dwelling fires has been systematically analyzed in order to identify the prevention and protection strategies more effective to prevent fire deaths. Among the identified measures, they stand out the installation of fire detection and alarm systems in residential buildings, which is not required by law at the present time, and the installation of automatic extinguishing systems, such as household sprinklers. The use of safe heating systems, avoiding old and bad-maintained portable heaters, is a particularly useful prevention strategy for the elderly people.