Regional/community patterns

NFPA members can download free PDF copies of selected 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.

U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State
John R. Hall, Jr., December 2008.
Cost: $25.00 (free to the fire service). 26 pages. Order # USS15.
Using data from U.S. death certificates, this report provides an extensive review of fire death tolls and rates relative to population for all 50 states, with analyses of the role of socioeconomic and other characteristics.

Abstract: The long-term trend in fire death rates per million population has been sloping substantially downward for nearly every state since 1980. In the five most recent years analyzed (2000-2004), Mississippi had the highest average fire death rate, and states of the southeast accounted for 10 of the 12 highest rates, with Rhode Island and Oklahoma as exceptions. When these five-year average rates are compared to state differences, several factors show notable correlations, including education (38% of statistical variation explained), race (35%), smoking (28%), poverty (28%), alcohol (21%), and rural (15%). Alcohol use was negatively correlated; the more people who drink, the lower the fire death rate. All but this last finding is consistent with findings in other studies of socioeconomic and demographic factors related to measures of fire loss.
NFPA members: Download this report. (PDF, 119 KB)

U.S. Fire Experience by Region, 2002-2006
Michael J. Karter, April 2008
Cost: $25.00 (free to the fire service). 37 pages. Order # USS03.
Patterns and trends in the fire problem by each of the four major regions of the U.S.—northeast, north central, south, and west—including differences in relative risk and in leading ignition causes. Updated unpublished report.

Abstract: Number of fires per thousand populations for the 2002-2006 period indicate that the South (6.2) and Northcentral (6.0) had the highest overall rates for the five year period. The South with 15.0 and Northcentral with 14.3 had the highest annual average fire death rates per million people for the period. The Northcentral had an average civilian injury rate of 80.0 for the five year period or 31% higher than the national rate. The South had the highest civilian death rates for all community sizes under 100,000. The Northeast with 52% had a higher occurrence of cooking equipment fires than other regions, while the West with 31% had a high occurrence of fires involving heating equipment.
NFPA members: Download this report. (PDF, 185 KB)
All visitors: Download the executive summary. (PDF, 181 KB), or order this report.

Rural Fire Studies Package
Cost: $25.00 (free to the fire service). 43 pages. Order # PKG24.
The latest fire patterns by size of community and three older special studies on the subject, giving special attention to the effects of climate, poverty, and space heating on the U.S. fire problem. Older studies from Fire Journal and Fire Service Today.