USFA estimates approximately one-third to one-half of the total number of residential fire fatalities that occur each year are captured on its page. The Information is obtained from news media reports published or aired within 24-48 hours after the fire.

The site includes search criteria by date and reported cause, and additional filters such as; fire victim age, gender, disability and smoke alarm presence. The information may be viewed and imported as a map or as a detailed report.

You can subscribe to receive USFA’s notifications in your inbox.

View the Research/Report section of FSI for additional home fire and sprinkler statistics.

The Manhattan American reports that the Manhattan Fire Protection District (MFPD) was honored as a fire-safe community at the recent Illinois Residential Fire Sprinkler Symposium in Addison. The district was recognized for passing a fire sprinkler ordinance for newly constructed homes in 2012. MFPD is one of 91 jurisdictions in Illinois to have such an ordinance.

The award was presented by state fire service organizations; including the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, Illinois Fire Inspectors Association, the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition and the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB).

"Congratulations to the Manhattan Fire Protection District for recognizing the important life-safety protection that fire sprinklers provide in homes," says Tom Lia, executive director of NIFSAB. "New homes in the Manhattan Fire Protection District will now have the ultimate protection for current residents and firefighters and future generations."

"The summit was extremely successful because it provided a great forum for various professionals from life-safety organizations, including fire and building officials, fire safety engineers and industry officials to share information and methods in support of residential fire sprinklers and their lifesaving value here in Illinois and across the nation," says Fire Chief Bob Tinucci, director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and chairman of the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition.

IBHS dispels the following five myths about home fire sprinklers:

1. When one sprinkler goes off, all the sprinklers activate - The sprinkler heads react to temperatures in each room individually, allowing only the sprinkler closest to the fire to activate. In fact, 90 percent of fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler.
2. A sprinkler could accidentally go off, causing severe water damage to a home - Records show that the likelihood of this occurring is very remote. In addition, residential fire sprinklers are designed and tested to minimize such accidents.
3. Water damage from a sprinkler system will be more extensive than fire damage - The sprinkler system will limit a fire’s growth. Therefore, damage from a residential sprinkler system will be much less severe than the smoke and fire damage if the fire had continued unabated, or the water damage caused by firefighting hose lines.
4. Home sprinkler systems are expensive - The cost of installing home fire sprinklers averages $1.61 per square foot for new construction, according to the Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment report produced by the Fire Protection Research Foundation. To put the cost of a sprinkler system into perspective, that is roughly the same amount people pay for carpet upgrades, a paver stone driveway or a whirlpool bath – none of which save lives.
5. Requiring residential fire sprinklers will inhibit new home construction - A 2009 study conducted on behalf of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) compared residential home construction in four counties in Maryland and Virginia – two with sprinkler mandates and two without. The study concluded the presence of sprinkler mandates did not have a negative
   effect on the number of homes being built.

Citing the fire problem and the benefits of home fire sprinklers, Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO said; “There is no disputing the fact that residential fire sprinklers can save lives and prevent significant property damage" "To that end, IBHS urges state lawmakers to protect the lives, safety and welfare of their constituents by adopting a residential fire sprinklers requirement for all new homes in their state building code.”

IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific research and communications organization supported by the property insurance industry. The organization works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other risks on residential and commercial property by conducting building science research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparedness practices.

Chief Wendelsdorf talks about the importance of USFA reports titled Civilian Fire Injuries in Residential Buildings and Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings detailing information found in the data from 2009 to 2011, with no mention of civilian injuries, or fatalities, in residential buildings protected with fire sprinkler systems. He guesses that the number of reported injuries and deaths (in residential buildings with fire sprinklers) was either none, or was so small that it was considered (statistically) insignificant; but that this “should speak volumes.”

On behalf of the WFCA, he thanks the USFA for its “continued effort to fight fire with facts.” He encourages the USFA to “include data sets pertaining to residential fire sprinklers in future reports to help the fire service win the information battle in every state.”

Access the free NFPA Research/Reports on the subject.

The province's technical advisory committee studied the issue and rendered its recommendations to include the change; considered “the most significant safety measure since the introduction of the smoke alarm.” Home operators will have five years to comply with the retrofit requirement from the date the legislation takes force, on Jan. 1, 2014.

The article points out that there are older residences that were built before fire sprinklers were mandated in new retirement homes and, more recently, in all new residential construction more than three stories in height.

Fire chiefs, including no fewer than three Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) presidents, have been fighting hard for years for the change.

Mr. Somers spoke at NFPA's "Bringing Safety Home" Fire Sprinkler Summit in Chicago on April 16.

Video: Scott Somers explains how federal program dollars helped fund sprinkler effort.

Mr. Somers spoke about how Mesa is using federal money for sprinkler projects designed to stabilize troubled neighborhoods and stimulate economic growth in a recent issue of NFPA Journal®. Read the full article.

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Tom Lia named recipient of Fire Sprinkler Initiative's first Home Fire Sprinkler Champion Award

Read the March 2013 issue of NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative newsletter

Amy is a burn advocate and Executive director of the Phoenix Society. "...the fire sprinkler effort is making a difference and although is a tough battle it is far better than the alternative - the life-long impact of recovering from a devastating burn injury."

Peer support has been the foundation of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors for over 35 years now and we remain the only national organization with that as a core focus. We have gone from one man with a vision who developed a loose network of like-minded survivors who provided support, what we are today, a world-recognized organization with nearly 800 trained peer supporters, serving in 56 burn centers in North America.

Through the Phoenix Society’s Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery program we also realized we are well positioned to add a voice to burn and fire prevention efforts because we know “Why” it is so critical.  Or as the NFPA campaign clearly says – we are the Faces of Fire. 

Phoenix Society's Alan Breslau and child burn survivor

Advocating on Behalf of the Burn Community. The Phoenix Society has long served as the voice that has urged care providers to consider and address the long-term needs of survivors. Alan’s message 35 years ago was that survival alone was not the best outcome---we needed help getting back to living.  Alan also started to testify in front of congress in support of preventing burn injuries, advocating for use of fire-safe cigarette technology as far back as 1981.  So our role in prevention is not new but with a more collaborative approach with our many partners much more effective.

In early 2000, the Phoenix Society assumed a major role in state-level fire-safe cigarette legislation battles by sharing the voice of the survivor along with our national and state partners focused on prevention such as the NFPA. Because of this work together on fire-safe cigarettes we are witnessing a significant reduction in fire deaths related to cigarette-related fires.  As a survivor this has help give a deeper meaning to my experience as a burn survivor and a feeling of empowerment to make a positive change from the tragedy I experienced.   

Making a Difference Together. Over the last several years we have expanded our advocacy efforts by providing specific training to more than 70 advocates who are now serving as a key voice in the battle for use of fire sprinklers in new construction. With this new effort we are assuring that the survivor advocates are emotionally ready for the role and providing focused and specific messages that support our partners in prevention.  Survivors like Rob Feeney  are committed trained Phoenix Society Advocates who are making a difference in our effort to address the fire problem in America. Knowing how to use his personal story with focus and purpose has been a very healing and powerful experience for him.  Being a trained advocate is the first step but we would not use these skills without the engagement of our partners like Common Voices and NFPA.

Alan, a survivor and our founder saw the potential power of this community over 30 years ago in the arena of prevention advocacy, and today we are true members of the team focused on saving lives and providing quality of care for those who are unfortunately impacted by the fire and burn problem in America.  This team approach to prevention and the fire sprinkler effort is making a difference and although is a tough battle it is far better than the alternative - the life-long impact of recovering from a devastating burn injury. 

The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors will be providing a day long advocacy course on Oct 9, 2013, during the Phoenix Society’s World Burn Congress .

IoHud.com reports that the incident “sounded a warning about how quickly the lightweight construction materials used in many newer homes can go up in flames…” but the lesson has had little impact on building codes. The Sullivan home was equipped with eight electric hardwired smoke alarms as required by code at the time the home was built, but had no fire sprinkler protection.

Citing the threats posed by lightweight building materials and a lack of home fire sprinkler requirements, the life safety community is expressing concern that NY building codes have not changed to include home fire sprinkler requirements in construction to protect the new housing stock that may prevent these tragedies in the future. The article quotes Northeast resident John Viniello, the retired president of the National Fire Sprinkler Association as saying that it is  “a travesty” that
lawmakers made no changes after the Sullivan fire.

The State of New York is currently operating under the 2006 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC). The 2009 edition, and subsequent editions of the code, includes fire sprinkler protection in all new one- and two-family home construction. NFPA 1 Fire Code, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code® and NFPA 5000: Building Construction and Safety Code® have included this requirement since 2006. All model safety codes include this minimum requirement to ensure a reasonable level of safety in the home. Removing or not adopting the requirement allows substandard homes to be built.

The New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council is currently debating the adoption of the 2012 edition of the I-Codes. Let’s hope that this fire and its devastation - along with the approximately 2,500 people that die in home fires on average in the U.S. every year – is on their mind as they make this crucial decision.

California is one of two states that adopted fire sprinkler requirements in all new one- and two-family homes, effective January 1, 2011.  Maryland also adopted the requirement statewide.

In other states, opponents of home fire sprinkler requirements – which are included in all national model codes representing minimum standards to achieve a reasonable level of safety – have lobbied extensively against the requirement on the claim that adoption of fire sprinklers in new home construction will negatively impact home building. This claim is refuted by a study by the Fire Protection Research Foundation that found there is no negative impact in housing supply or cost in communities adopting the requirement, as compared to communities without the requirement.

The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) website contains permit data showing an overall average increase of 26% in single family home permits in the U.S., while California has experienced a 51% increase in permits issued for the same period. In contrast, South Carolina - included among the states rejecting statewide adoption of one- and two-family home fire sprinkler requirements - has experienced a 24% increase in permits; below the national average.

View home fire sprinkler legislation/adoption updates by states and local communities.

“The effect (of the proposals) was to eliminate the mandate by allowing sprinklers to be optional vs. other features.  In one case, the proposals would have allowed a fire extinguisher or sprinklers...,” said Jeff Shapiro of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. According to Shapiro the proposals would have provided an "easy out" for builders to exclude fire sprinklers from new home construction.

Because they were withdrawn, the proposals will no longer be considered at the IRC final hearings in Atlantic City, NJ. The fire sprinkler requirement for one- and two-family homes and townhomes will remain intact in the 2015 IRC.

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Controversial proposal to require fire extinguisher in kitchen in lieu of sprinklers