Having recently published the final phase of a research study into fire fatalities in Scotland, Raman Chagger, Principal Consultant for Fire Safety at BRE Global, provides an overview of the findings.
The first phase of a research study investigating fire fatalities in Scotland identified that vulnerable people were most at risk. Data supplied by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was reviewed and 14 recommendations were proposed by the stakeholder group. These included the broader use of current technologies as well as looking at future technologies to further reduce fire fatalities.
For the final phase of this research study, 123 Fire Investigation (FI) reports were examined and nine of the previous recommendations were assessed to examine their potential effectiveness, had they been present during each of the fires. Additionally, a qualitative analysis of each FI report and a quantitative analysis of all FI reports was performed. The qualitative analysis involved reviewing each FI report in its entirety, focusing on which interventions could prevent similar fatalities in the future. For the quantitative analysis, the data from all FI reports was collectively reviewed to address 23 key questions posed by the stakeholder group.
Other data within the FI reports was also examined, such as the presence of emollient creams. Additionally, the confirmed causes of death, blood alcohol levels, cases of people smoking or cooking under the influence of alcohol, fires involving smoking materials and key findings from the toxicology data of the FI report were investigated.
From the assessment of the previous recommendations, during the review of FI reports, the following observations were made:
During the review of FI reports several additional recommendations were proposed that, if adopted, would be expected to lead to a reduction in fire fatalities. These recommendations were targeted at specific groups. These were care package suppliers, manufacturers, public services (NHS, carers/social workers, police, SFRS Fire Investigators, SFRS personnel), the public and research bodies.
Whilst new and emerging technologies may provide additional protection in the future, this study demonstrated that the increased use of existing technologies could be applied immediately and would be expected to save lives. Some of the recommendations resulting from this review include providing inter-linked smoke alarms in bedrooms and living spaces, heat alarms in kitchens and increased use of the certified watermist systems. In addition, the findings also suggest that improved lines of communication between agencies, neighbours and relatives with the SFRS is crucial when an at-risk person has been identified.
The full set of recommendations is in the briefing paper available from the BRE website.
While several recommendations were taken from both the quantitative and qualitative analysis, the more common ones are sorted and reproduced in Figure 1. These are laid out in a flowchart to show when they could be applied and when they would be most effective. Note that a Home Fire Safety Visit (HFSV) is a visit to people’s homes performed by the SFRS, during which they assess fire safety, wellbeing and lifestyle issues that might impact on personal safety.
Figure 1: The preparatory steps and proposed interventions to improve fire safety
Cumulative risk factors in combination progressively increase the likelihood of a fatality. Some of the risk factors identified during this study include a person’s age, whether they are smokers, drink alcohol or take prescription drugs or medication. Others include mobility impairments or whether they are hoarders; there was also a dependence on occupancy and the distance from the nearest SFRS station.
With so many factors potentially posing a challenge for Fire and Rescue Services, it becomes increasingly difficult to identify those most at risk and to provide appropriate interventions. To address this, a concept strategy is proposed that accounts for various risk factors by assigning each of them with a weighted numeric score from which an overall ‘risk score’ can be calculated. For those vulnerable individuals with higher risk scores more comprehensive strategies will be proposed to offer additional protection. These are detailed further in the briefing paper.
Potential areas for future research include investigating how reduced ignition propensity cigarettes lead to fires. In addition, further research on common household electrical items leading to fires is proposed. Another area identified was to demonstrate the effectiveness of approved watermist systems in a typical scenario as observed during this study. These are currently being developed and parties interested in collaborating are invited to contact BRE.
As well as reviewing previous recommendations, this research work has produced several additional recommendations designed to assist Fire and Rescue Services in identifying and protecting vulnerable people. This has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of a broad, technical stakeholder group who are now advancing the implementation of these recommendations.
Further international collaborations are being pursued with the aim of identifying risk factors in other countries and proposing suitable measures to reduce local fire fatalities.
Find out more about the fire safety research undertaken by BRE Global.
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