An Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding Elderly Dwelling Fire Fatalities and the Barriers to Implementing Fire Safety Strategies among this Group

A. P. Harpur, Karen Boyce, N. McConnell
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引用次数: 22

Abstract

Examination of real-fire data has indicated that, globally, the elderly, particularly elderly males are those most at risk of becoming a dwelling fire fatality. This paper presents an analysis of the circumstances surrounding elderly dwelling fire fatalities gleaned from coronial reports. The analysis indicated that many elderly fatalities were involved in ignition and had existing health conditions that played a role in the fire. The most common fire scenario (which started in home furnishing located in the living room by carelessly discarded smokers’ materials) accounted for a quarter of elderly fatalities. The risk factors associated with elderly fatalities were similar to other adult fatalities. However, there were some statistically significant differences. The elderly were less likely to have alcohol play a role in their death, more likely to be involved in fires where their clothing was the seat of the fire, have physical illness play a role, and have burn injuries as their primary cause of death. The fire risk to elderly householders was frequently identified by members of the community; however, many felt it was inappropriate to intervene to negate the risk although there were some examples of fatalities that occurred even where fire safety measures had subsequently been adopted. The most concerning result from this study is the minimal attention given to how elderly householders, especially those with poor mobility, would escape in the event of a fire.
长者住宅火灾死亡情况及实施消防安全策略的障碍调查
对真实火灾数据的研究表明,在全球范围内,老年人,特别是老年男性是最有可能成为住宅火灾死亡的人群。本文介绍了从冠状报告中收集的老年人住宅火灾死亡情况的分析。分析表明,许多老年人的死亡与点火有关,并且他们现有的健康状况在火灾中起了作用。最常见的火灾场景(由随手丢弃的吸烟者材料引起的客厅家居)占老年人死亡人数的四分之一。与老年人死亡相关的危险因素与其他成人死亡相似。然而,有一些统计学上的显著差异。老年人的死亡不太可能是酒精造成的,而更有可能涉及火灾,因为他们的衣服是火堆,身体疾病起了作用,烧伤是他们死亡的主要原因。社区成员经常发现老年住户的火灾风险;然而,许多人认为干预以消除风险是不合适的,尽管有一些死亡的例子,即使后来采取了消防安全措施。这项研究最令人担忧的结果是,人们很少关注老年人,尤其是那些行动不便的老年人,在发生火灾时如何逃生。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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