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Lessons learned from an emergency medical services fire safety intervention
Ronald G Pirrallo1, Charles E Cady
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA. pirrallo@mcw.edu
Prehospital Emergency Care
|April 3, 2004
Summary
Providing smoke alarms during emergency medical services (EMS) calls significantly reduced property loss in subsequent fires. However, the long-term effectiveness of this intervention for universal home protection remains limited.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Emergency Medicine
- Fire Safety Engineering
Background:
- Many households experiencing fires had prior emergency medical services (EMS) visits but lacked operational smoke alarms.
- A pilot study identified a potential link between EMS visits, smoke alarm provision, and fire outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that dwellings receiving smoke alarms during an EMS call would have operational alarms, reduced property loss, and decreased morbidity/mortality in subsequent fires.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of integrating smoke alarm distribution into EMS response protocols.
Main Methods:
- Smoke detectors and batteries were distributed by an urban fire department during EMS calls between March 1999 and January 2001.
- After addressing the primary medical need, smoke alarm verification or installation was performed.
- Subsequent fire incidents in these dwellings were analyzed for alarm status, property loss, injuries, and fatalities.
Main Results:
- 1,335 smoke detectors were placed; 79 dwellings experienced fires. Of these, 35% had an operating smoke alarm.
- Homes with operational alarms experienced significantly lower mean property dollar loss ($2,870) compared to those without ($10,468).
- No injuries or fatalities were reported in either group during subsequent fires.
Conclusions:
- The program successfully placed smoke alarms in at-risk homes and confirmed their role in reducing property damage.
- While effective in reducing immediate financial loss, the program's long-term effectiveness for ensuring universal smoke alarm protection has limitations.