Appliances & equipment

NFPA members can download free PDF copies of One-Stop Data Shop reports. All reports and packages are also available for sale in bound, photocopy format. NFPA members receive a 10% discount off the cover price. To order any report(s), e-mail Nancy Schwartz, or call +1 617 984-7450.

Home And Non-Home Fires Involving Office Equipment
John R. Hall, Jr. September 2009
Cost $25.00, 44 pages. Order #USS64
The topic of this report is home and non-home fires involving office equipment, such as telephones, computers, and related equipment. The report includes statistics by equipment type, factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited and area of origin. Computer usage data is also provided for homes, schools, and offices.

Abstract: This report provides statistics on home fires involving office equipment such as computers and telephones. In 2003-2006, U.S. municipal fire departments reported 1,470 non-confined structure fires per year involving office equipment, including 690 home fires and 780 non-home fires, with associated annual home losses of 29 civilian injuries and $25 million in direct property damage and associated annual non-home losses of 17 civilian injuries and $34 million in direct property damage. Computer-related equipment accounted for 76% of the home office equipment fires and 58% of the non-home office equipment fires. These estimates are based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department experience survey.
NFPA members: Download report #USS64. (PDF, 204 KB)
All visitors: Download the printable fact sheet. (PDF, 49 KB)

Home Structure Fires Involving Kitchen Equipment Other Than Cooking Equipment
John R. Hall, Jr. August 2009
Cost $25.00, 27 pages. Order #USS52
The topic of this report is kitchen equipment other than cooking equipment, such as refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers. The report includes statistics by equipment type, factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited and area of origin. Suggested safety tips are also included.

In 2003-2006, an estimated 2,800 reported U.S. home structure fires per year involving equipment normally used in kitchen for food preparation, storage or disposal but excluding cooking equipment resulted in annual averages of 11 reported civilian deaths, 100 civilian injuries, and $73 million in direct property damage. Nearly all home fires involving kitchen equipment excluding cooking equipment specifically involve refrigerators and freezers or dishwashers. Other equipment in this group include garbage disposers, blenders, juicers, food processors, can openers, coffee grinders, and knife sharpeners. These estimates are based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department experience survey.
NFPA members: Download report #USS52. (PDF, 102 KB)
All visitors: Download the executive summary. (PDF, 29 KB)

Home Fires Involving Incinerators and Commercial Compactors
John R. Hall, Jr. July 2009
Cost $10.00, 13 pgs, Order #USS70
This report provides statistics on home and non-home fires involving incinerators and commercial compactors as equipment involved in ignition.

Abstract: In 2006, an estimated 690 reported home structure fires, all of them confined fires, involved incinerators, and an estimated 1,670 reported home structure fires, nearly all of them confined fires, involved commercial compactors. These estimates are based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department experience survey.
NFPA members: Download report #USS70. (PDF, 67 KB)

Home Structure and Outdoor Fires Involving Grills
Marty Ahrens, May 2009
Cost: $10.00. 55 Pages. Order#USS11N
An analysis of fires involving grills covering structure fires and outdoor fires, including statistics by power source, month, leading area of origin, factor contributing to ignition, and item first ignited. Suggested safety tips and published incidents are also included.
NFPA members: Download report #USS11N. (PDF, 668 KB)
All visitors: Download a fact sheet on home structure and outdoor fires involving grills. (PDF, 447 KB)

Home Electrical Fires
John R. Hall, Jr., March 2009
Cost: $25.00. 123 pages. Order #USS37.
This report has a section on statistics on home structure fires involving electrical failure or malfunction and a section on home structure fires involving electrical distribution or lighting equipment. The report has statistics by specific equipment type, factor contributing to ignition, human factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited, area of origin, victim location at ignition, victim activity when injured and fires by month and time of day. Suggested safety tips are also included.
NFPA members: Download report #USS37. (PDF, 483 KB)
All visitors: Download the executive summary (PDF, 100 KB), or order this report.
All visitors: Download a fact sheet on home electrical fires. (PDF, 59 KB)

Home And Non-Home Fires Involving Torches, Burners And Soldering Equipment
John R. Hall, Jr., April 2009
Cost $25.00. 84 pages. Order #PKG27
Special analysis of U.S. home and non-home fires involving cutting or welding torches, burners, or soldering equipment, with statistics and selected published incident descriptions. Trends and causal factors are also provided.

Abstract: This report provides statistics on home fires involving torches, burners and soldering equipment. In 2003-2006, there were an estimated 5,600 structure fires per year reported to U.S. fire departments, with associated annual losses of 22 civilian deaths, 223 civilian injuries, and $208 million in direct property damage.

These estimates are based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department experience survey.
NFPA members: Download report #PKG27. (PDF, 296 KB)
All visitors: Download the executive summary (PDF, 66.9 KB), or order this report.
All visitors: Download a fact sheet torches, burners and soldering equipment. (PDF, 41 KB)

Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines
John R. Hall, Jr., March 2009
Cost $25.00 28 pages. Order #USS57
This report is an overview of home structure fires involving clothes dryers and washing machines and includes statistics by factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited and area of origin. Suggested safety tips are also included.

Abstract: In 2003-2006, there were 15,350 non-confined home structure fires per year reported to U.S. fire departments where clothes dryers or washing machines were the equipment involved in ignition, with associated annual losses of 16 civilian deaths, 433 civilian injuries, and $201 million in direct property damage. Dryers alone accounted for 92% of these fires and all of the reported deaths.

These estimates are based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department experience survey.
NFPA members: Download report #USS57. (PDF, 483 KB)
All visitors: Download a fact sheet on home fires involving clothes dryers and washing machines. (PDF, 59 KB)

Home Fires Entertainment Equipment
John R. Hall, Jr. March 2009
Cost $25.00, 25 pages. Order #USS61
The topic of this report is home entertainment equipment such as televisions, stereos, radios, VCRs and audio CD players. The report includes statistics by equipment type, factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited and area of origin. Suggested safety tips are also included.

Abstract: This report provides statistics on home fires involving entertainment equipment. In 2003-2006, there were an estimated 1,790 non-confined home structure fires per year involving entertainment equipment reported to U.S. fire departments, with associated annual losses of 11 civilian deaths, 103 civilian injuries, and $54 million in direct property damage. The specific types of entertainment equipment with the largest shares of fires were televisions (44%), stereos (13%), and radios (12%).

Home Fires Involving Air Conditioning or Related Equipment
John R. Hall, Jr., February 2009
Cost $25.00. 62 pages. Order #USS48
Analysis of patterns and trends in all measures of fire loss for all types of home air conditioning or related equipment, including fans and heat pumps, as well as leading causes of ignition and areas of fire origin. Also provides safety tips.

Abstract: In 2006, air conditioning or related equipment was involved in an estimated 7,400 reported home structure fires, 270 civilian injuries, and $200 million in direct property damage. There were no civilian deaths in 2006, an atypical year, but there were an average of 32 civilian deaths per year in 2003-2006.
NFPA members: Download report #USS48. (PDF, 257 KB)
All visitors: Download the executive summary (PDF, 51 KB), or order this report.
All visitors: Download a fact sheet Air Conditioning or Related Equipment. (PDF, 34 KB)

Home Fires Involving Lighters
John R. Hall, Jr. May 2008
Cost $25.00, 16 pgs, Order #USS67
This report provides statistics on home fires involving lighters as equipment involved in ignition or as heat source and includes information on fires by year, factor contributing to ignition, item first ignited and area of origin.

Abstract: This report provides statistics on home fires involving lighters as equipment involved in ignition or as heat source. In 2002-2005, lighters were cited as the heat source in an estimated 9,800 home structure fires per year reported to U.S. fire departments with associated annual losses of 210 civilian deaths, 930 civilian injuries, and $221 million in direct property damage. There are more than ten home fires with lighter coded as heat source for every fire with cigarette, pipe, or charcoal lighter as equipment involved in ignition. Most lighter fires and deaths involve children playing with fire.