The human consequences
of domestic fires.
Dominiek Viaene, administrator EBCA
It happens close to your home today!
• Simple causes, heavy consequences:
– Smoking cigaret falls between the pillows of a sofa
– A light or heat source is too close to the curtains
– The decoration of the home party sets fire
– An implosion of a TV set puts the living room in
fire
– Someone left the iron on…
– A burning object is thrown in a waste basket
–…
And what about the victims?
• Heavily burned people need a lot of intensive
care, for the rest of their lifetime.
• Medical care and after care,
• Financial care,
• Psychological care,
• Human care for reintegration
into society...
Statistics on domestic fires: global
• Estimate is that about 1% of the European people are
confronted with burns each year (approx. 5 mln people)
• Calculated on the Belgian figures with extrapolation (thanks Martin):
• 1.200 heavily burned on 10,5 mln people = 0,0114 %
• Extrapolation on European level gives = approx 57.200 burned
• Calculated on the London figures with extrapolation (thanks Steve):
• 1.207 fire injuries on 7,5 mln people = 0,016 %
• Extrapolation on European level gives = approx 80.500 burned
• Calculated on the French statistics (thanks Paul)
• 10.000 hospitalisations, dont 3.500 dans les centres spécialisés = 0,0143 %
• Extrapolation on European level gives = approx 71.500 burned
• This is an estimate of the people that go to specialised care
centers. The real numbers (including ER and G.P. visits) will
more than likely be significantly higher.
Statistics on domestic fires: global
• 30% of this number are kids < 14 years.
• 40% of all victims are younger than 21 years
old.
• More than 50% of this number are poor.
• The vast majority of this happens in domestic
fires.
The place of the incident
The kind of incident
Source: Belgian Burn statistics.
Statistics on domestic fires
• What do we know, without statistical proof in Europe?
• The number of casualties (deaths and heavily burned
people) can be limited if:
– the fire spreads (more) slowly
– the fire is early detected
– the domestic place has a fire exit/fire escape plan
• Higher fire safety standards for upholstered furniture
and other domestical applicances can help a lot to limit
this number of casualties.
• It is a pity that all discussions between industry and EU
tend to block on details in stead of drawing the general
lines, in favour of general consumer interest.
Who or what is EBCA?
• EBCA =European Burn Casualties Association, a group of
national burn patients associations in Europe
• EBCA is a new European and result oriented association to
be partner of the EU in improving fire safety and burn care
in Europe, from a patients point of view.
• EBCA was founded by Pinocchio vzw (Belgium) and ABF
(France)
• EBCA is based in the burn center of Brussels, a future
reference center for burn care in Europe
• NBS (Holland) has joined us already
• We are talking to a German patient group.
• And looking for:
• a British patient group
• and a Scandinavian patient group for the first expansion
What are the EBCA goals?
• Increase awareness amoung EU decision makers of burn injury and
fire safety issues
• Collection of complete and reliable burn injury and fatality statistics
at a European level
• Work on standardization in EU to the highest level of
recommendations, laws and regulations on prevention activities,
fire safety and care and after care for patients
• Knowledge sharing between the member states of EU regarding
prevention and fire safety initiatives, medical care and after care for
burns patients, psychological treatment and after care for burns
patients in their reintegration process back into normal life
• To reinforce the individual country related patients groups, and
give them more synergy power to try to do something about the
causes of burns
• To support the EU and EFA as a neutral reflection panel in decision
making on all elements of burn care and fire safety
• From a patients points of view.
Thank you!
EBCA: www.ebca.info