The Truth Behind Firefighter and Civilian Death Rates

 Review course administrative and information requirements
 Discuss the sources for fire fatality statistics and information
 Discuss what may be causing the increase or decrease in fatalities
 What does the fire protection community need to do to reverse or slow the trend?

 FS101-01 – Fire Behavior and Combustion
 Weekly Seminar – Thur. 9:00 pm EST
 AIM – Messenger
○ User name – emorgenthaler156
○ Office Hours: Monday, 6:45 pm – 7:45 pm
○ Or any time by appointment as needed
 Email me anytime if you have a question or something comes up!

• The detailed study of how chemistry, fire science, and the engineering disciplines of fluid mechanics and heat transfer interact to influence fire behavior. NFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, 2008
Edition

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 This course investigates the basic concepts of fire, its spread, and its control. The course discusses the nature and properties of the three states of matter, explains the components of fire, and describes the physical and chemical properties of fire.

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 FS101-1: Explain how motivating factors of modern fire research impact fire science
 FS101-2: Explain heat flux and its implications in the danger of fire heat transfer
 FS101-3: Identify types of fire spread
 FS101-4: Interpret the factors that have an effect on the energy release rate
 FS101-5: Describe the role fire gases play in the development and spread of fire
 GEL-1.1: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard
American English
 GEL 8.1: Apply critical thinking to construct persuasive arguments

 Have Fun and Enjoy this Experience
 Don’t let worrying get in the way of learning
 Syllabus
 Course
Announcements
 Weekly Seminar
 Notify me if you cannot make it

 Discussion Boards
 Respond to Question and to Students
○ MINIMUM of 2 posts
 1 Original response to the questions
 At least 1 response to another student
 This is where the course learning really takes place, the interaction on the boards and group discussion.
 Review the Grading Rubrics in the Course Syllabus
 Timeliness & Frequency
 Breadth and Depth of Responses
 Clarity, Organization, Grammar, Mechanics

 Assignments
 Spell Check and Grammar Check
 Writing Center
 Readings and PowerPoint Slides
 Communicate with me, I am here for your success!

 Thursday, 9:00 pm EST
 You must be an active participant for full credit,
25 points
 Make up option available
 Audio delay, 30-45 seconds
 Wonderful opportunity to learn and share information

“In the chaos of what turned out to be a false report of people trapped inside a burning Genesee Street deli in the early morning of Aug. 24, a cry of "mayday" rang out from a firefighter's portable radio.” The Buffalo News

Sources for fire fatality information

Sources for fire fatality information (con’t)
 Common sources for statistical information are:
 Impact of fire in the US
 http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/quickstats/ index.shtm
US Fire Statistics
 http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/
 National Fire Protection Association
 www.nfpa.org

 How does the US stack up to Britain?
 Let’s look at:
○ Total fires
○ Civilian fire deaths
○ Firefighter deaths

 US 2007
 3,430 civilians deaths
 118 firefighters killed
 1.6 million fires
 Britain 2006
 491 civilian deaths
 2 firefighters killed
 426,200 fires http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/firest ats2006.pdf

 Population
 Building Codes
 Attitudes towards fire
 Culture of our fire service

Are civilian fatalities going up or down in the US?

Are we going to more or fewer fires?
According to the NFPA report found at http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/FireLossabstract.pdf
states:
“The US Census the resident population grew
37% from 1977 to 2007. Figure 2 shows that the rate of fires per 1,000 population fell 65% from
14.9 in 1977 to 5.2 in 2007.”
So yes fires are down! But……

Since fires are down are we losing more or less firefighters?
 We are losing more, fires are down but we still on average lose a 100 firefighters a year in the US.
The Firefighter Deaths in 2007 Compared to 2006, 1997, 1987 and 1977
 2007 2006
102
35%
Up 15%
1997 1987 1977
Up 3% Down 23% Down http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/FireLossabstract.pdf

What do we need to do?
 Codes
 Standards
 Education (ourselves and public)
 Training

 Introduce Yourselves
○ Nickname
○ City and State
○ Why are taking this class
○ Prior knowledge / experience
○ Educational goals
○ How is this class going to help
○ What is your AIM name
 Respond to Another
Student

 Review Key Terms (reading page)
 Read eTextbook Preface
 Visit Extra! Extra!
 Review Reports (USFA)
 Respond to Discussion Board
 What do you hope to learn in this class?

Most Importantly…Have a Great
Experience and Continue Long-
Learning!