NFPA Urban Fire Forum October 20 – 23, 2011 Quincy, MA Glenn A. Gaines, Deputy Fire Administrator Risk Reduction for Citizens and Fire Department Members in Urban Communities

The Urban Fire Problem In The United States 2

What is an Urban Area?  CHALLENGE: RUCA Based on the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) Classification System 3 U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service's

Urban Areas and Non-Urban Areas  Urban  Urban – contiguous built-up areas of 50,000 persons or more  Suburban  Suburban – areas, often in metropolitan counties, with high commuting flows to urban areas (not necessarily dependent on population)  Rural – towns with populations between 10,000 and 49,999 4

Data Sources The data primarily used in the presentation are based on:   National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data  2007  2007 U.S. Census population data  RUCA data by zip codes 5

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Sources: NFIRS and Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes. Notes: Average loss for fatalities and injuries is computed per 1,000 fires; average dollar loss is computed per fire and is rounded to the nearest $10. The 2007 and 2008 dollar loss values were adjusted to their equivalent 2009 dollar loss value. Loss Measures for Reported Residential Building Fires by Urban/Nonurban Areas (3-year average) Residential Building Fires UrbanSuburbanRural Deaths/1,000 Fires Injuries/1,000 Fires Dollar Loss/Fire$15,310$24,830$19,230 19

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23 Accessing NFIRS Web Based Report Summaries:  Your fire department must participate in NFIRS  Contact your State NFIRS Reporting Representative in order to set up an account. State contacts may be found at:  Other NFIRS related questions may be directed to the NFIRS Support Center Telephone: (888)

24 Emerging Fire and EMS Challenges, Risks and Opportunities for Research

Forward to the Future “ Man will not fly for 50 years.” Wilbur Wright, co-inventor of the airplane, 1901 Wilbur Wright, co-inventor of the airplane, 1901

26 The First Manned Flight in History: December 17, :35 a.m. Orville Wright: Distance covered 120 feet Time aloft was 12 seconds

27 United States Population million million Approximately 23% Increase

28 Worldwide Fire Situation

29 Worldwide Fire Situation

30 Demographics

31 Demographic Challenges Ominous Impending Conditions

32 Demographic Challenges High Risk Population million Baby Boomers 80 million Baby Boomers Three leading causes of home deaths among the senior population are:  Trips and falls in the home  Fires caused by portable space heaters  Smoking and cooking fires

33 Demographic Challenges Older Adult Fatalities in Home Fires Caused by Cooking  75> age group 3 times as likely to suffer a fire related death  85> age group 4 times more likely suffer a fire related death

34 Demographic Challenges  Approximately 85% of Fire Fatalities Every Year Occur in Residential Occupancies  77 % of Fire Related Injuries Occur in Residential Occupancies

35 Senior Population

36 Demographic Predictions  Population 309 million now  Growth projection 392 million by 2050  More than a 50 percent increase from the 1990 population -13% +40% ( U. S. Census)

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38 Fire Growth Patterns

39 NIST Studies Available Safe Escape Time (ASET) Typical Household NIST Indiana Dunes II Study (R35) in minutes ASET Compared to a similar study in minute ASET

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41 From the Laboratory to the Field

42 Other Emerging Issues Alternative Fuels Antibiotic Resistant Infectious Diseases Technology: Smart vehicles Robotics Nanotechnology Alternative Fuels Antibiotic Resistant Infectious Diseases Technology: Smart vehicles Robotics Nanotechnology

43 Electric Cars Available

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45 Photovoltaic’s

C 3 # – 138 Hz C 5 – Hz G 7 – 3,136 Hz Research on Sounder Technology

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48 Thank You!

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