Burning Issues

In 1993, U.S. fire departments reported $8.5 billion in direct property loss due to fires. Insurance industry estimates weren't available, but tend to run slightly higher. NFPA estimates the insurance industry collected $9.3 billion in premiums through fire insurance policies and the fire portion of multiple-peril policies, to cover insured losses.

Also in 1993, $15.1 billion was spent on local fire protection in the United States. This number includes all costs of local career fire departments and out-of-pocket expenses of volunteer departments funded by or through their governments.

How much do some leading heat sources cost?

One pack of cigarettes costs about $2.35, so a pack-a-day smoker spends about $857.75 per year on cigarettes. Lighters cost about 70¢ each. Usually, matches can be picked up for free.

The price of heating equipment varies, depending on its capacity and the type of fuel or power it uses. Portable electric heaters are least expensive, costing bet wen $20 and $60. Both gas-fueled and electric-powered water heaters can cost from $125 to more than $400. Wood stoves can cost up to $2,000.

How much do fires linked to these products cost?

Fires started by cigarettes accounted for roughly 1,000 civilian deaths, more than 3,000 civilian injuries, and nearly $400 million in direct property damage in 1993. That works out to $6 to $7 per year in property damage for the pack-a-day smoker. If deaths and injuries are included, losses are $35 to $40 per year for a pack-a-day smoker.

In 1993, children playing with lighters started home fires resulting in 145 civilian deaths, more than 1,500 civilian injuries, and just over $130 million in direct property damage. The property damage translates into about 20¢ per lighter, and if deaths and injuries are included, the total is about 70¢ per lighter.

Direct damage due to fire ranges from less than $1 per year per household using electric water heaters to $2 to $3 for gas water heaters and portable electric heaters to more than $12 per year per household for wood stoves.

If deaths and injuries are factored in, losses are still less than $1 per year per household for electric water heaters, rising to $4 to $5 for gas water heaters, $18 to $19 for portable electric heaters, $28 for wood stoves, and more than $45 for gas space heaters.

Think of it this way . . .

In 1994, a 5-year-old Mississippi boy playing with a 75¢ lighter started a fire that spread quickly throughout his home. The house had no sprinklers or smoke detectors, so discovery of the fire was delayed. And once it was discovered, 10 minutes passed before anyone called 911 to report the fire.

By the time fire fighters managed to extinguish the blaze, it had done $45,000 in property damage and killed two children.

It would have cost the adults in this household nothing to keep that 75¢ lighter up high and out of that child's reach. It would have taken less that $10 to buy a smoke detector with a battery, which would have alerted them to the fire. Better fire safety education, available for the asking, would have taught the whole family to immediately evacuate and call 911 after discovering the fire.

How much do fire protection products cost?

A battery-operated smoke and fire detector for the home goes for less than $10, unless it has extra features, like escape lights, which can push the cost to $25. Smoke detectors for a typical hard-wired system cost $14 to $18, while those designed for the hearing-impaired cost nearly $100 each.

Batteries for these detectors cost $1 to $2, depending on the brand.

The cost of installing a residential sprinkler system in a single-family house under construction is roughly $1 per square foot. This includes the design and installation, as well as the state licenses and permits.

A fire extinguisher may cost less than $10 or more than $50, depending on its capacity.