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8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Abandoned Building Fires:Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries
With Risk Management
Presented By:
City of Flint Fire Department
August 25, 2009
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City of Flint Fire Department
• 89 Suppression Personnel
• 18 Personnel per day minimum
• 5 Stations• 2 75’ Quints
• 3 Engines
• 1 Squad
• 1 Paramedic Unit• 1 100’ Reserve Aerial Ladder
• 2008: 6,748 calls for service
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Flint, Michigan
Population: 112,000 est.
#2 in population loss in the United States
since 2000
Area: 34.1 sq. miles
Below Poverty Rate: 35.7%
Unemployment Rate: 27.3%
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Abandoned Houses
There are approximately 15,000 abandoned houses in Flint, MI
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8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Why do firefighters enter burning buildings?
• Civilian life safety
• Property conservation
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Civilian Life Safety Incidents
atVacant and Abandoned Building Fires
March 2005 – August 2009
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Civilian Life Safety Incidents,
March 1, 2005 – August 18, 2009
• 945 vacant / abandoned building fires
• 4 incidents out of 945, or 0.4%, involved a civilian injury
• At the remaining 941 incidents, or 99.6%, the life safety
hazard was exclusively to the firefighters.
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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4 Incidents of Civilian Life Safety
• 1 civilian fatality at a fully involved abandoned house
• 2 civilians rescued from second floor of anabandoned house fire
• 1 civilian injured when jumping from 2nd floor window ofburning abandoned building prior to fire department arrival
• 1 civilian fatality found in room of fire origin
at an abandoned building
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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NFPA Vacant Building Fires Report, April 2009
• 31,000 vacant building fires annually in the United States
• Vacant building fires resulted in 2% of civilian
fire deaths and 1% of civilian fire injuries
• Vacant building fires caused 13% of firefighter injuries
Source: Vacant Building Fires. Marty Ahrens, NFPA (2009)
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Firefighter Injuries
atVacant and Abandoned Building Fires
April 2006 – April 2007
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Fire Activity, April 2006 – April 2007
• 767 structure fire calls dispatched
• 443 working structure fires
• 264 occupied structure fires
• 179 vacant / abandoned structure fires
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Percentage of Injuries by Location of Occurrence
59%
18%
12%
5%
4%
2%
Fireground Fire Station EMS Incident
Miscellaneous Vehicle Accidents Haz Mat Incident
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Percentage of
Vacant vs Occupied Structure Fires
40%
60%
Vacant Occupied
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Percentage of Injuries,
Vacant vs Occupied Structures
62%
38%
Vacant Occupied
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Firefighter Injuries, April 2006 – April 2007
Occupied Buildings: 13 injuries
Vacant / Abandoned Buildings: 21 injuries
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Fire Tactics at Vacant Structure Fires,
April 2006 - April 2007
136
39
13
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Offensive
Defensive
Incipient / Exterior
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Sites of Firefighter Injury
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11022 Garden Fire: August 30, 2006
Offensive Attack
Firefighter suffered an abdominal strain
Building unoccupied as of August 12, 2009
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421 Garland Fire: February 24, 2007
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an abdominal strain
Building has been renovated. Occupied loft apartments.
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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503 West Second Avenue Fire: April 18, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: August 8, 2006
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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1445 Davison Fire: May 26, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered burns
Building demolished: October 5, 2006
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402 East Foss Fire: June 7, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an eye injury
Building demolished: April 5, 2007
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1427 Jean Fire: July 3, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: October 26, 2006
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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2622 Forest Hill Fire: July 28, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: June 17, 2009
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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1021 Wolcott Fire: September 3, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered burns
Building demolished: November 17, 2006
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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1405 Defreest Fire: October 15, 2006
Offensive attack
Two firefighters suffered burns
Building demolished: May 10, 2007
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425 West First Street Fire: October 30, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: October 22, 2007
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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228 East Taylor Fire: October 30, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered burns
Building demolished: February 6, 2007
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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914 Young Fires: October 30 & 31, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered a back injury
Building demolished: April 27, 2007
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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6802 College Place Fire: November 2, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: May 28, 2009
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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354 East Russell Fire: November 2, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: October 1, 2007
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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2108 West Court Fire: December 8, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: May 4, 2007
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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2507 Minnesota Fire: January 7, 2007
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered burns
Building scheduled for emergency demolition
Building destroyed by subsequent fire on May 25, 2008
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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424 Thomson Fire: March 4, 2007
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered burns
Building demolished: August 23, 2007
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209 West Baker, Part II Fire: April 18, 2007
Initial offensive attack, withdrawn to defensive position
One firefighter suffered burns
One firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: August 14, 2007
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Injury Rate at Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
• April 2006 – April 2007: 11.7 injuries per 100 fires
• March 2005 – April 2007: 8.8 injuries per 100 fires
• NFPA National Average: 3.7 injuries per 100 fires
Source: Patterns of Firefighter Fireground Injuries. Michael Karter, NFPA (2007)
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Types of Fireground Injuriesat Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
April 2006 – April 2007
43%
33%
9%
10%
5%
Burns Extremity Injury Abdominal Injury Eye Injury Back Injury
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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• Flint firefighters work 2,620 hours per year
• Cumulatively, 21 injuries at vacant / abandoned buildings cost
the Department over 14 months of a firefighter’s duty hours.
Cumulative Hours Lost to Firefighter Injuries,
April 2006 - April 2007
3,112
768
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500
Vacant / Abandoned
Occupied
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Cost of Fireground Injuries
April 2006 – April 2007
•
Occupied Buildings: $13,621• Vacant / Abandoned Buildings: $50,430
Percentage Cost of Fireground Injuries,
Vacant vs. Occupied
79%
21%
Vacant Occupied
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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Cost of Fireground Injuries: 209 West Baker
2 fires within 23 days injured 3 firefightersInjuries resulted in 83 days of lost time to injury / restricted duty
Cost of lost time due to injury was $18,792.74
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Post-Fire Site Surveys
• Conducted April – May 2007
• Each vacant / abandoned building that received
an offensive attack between April 2006 – April 2007
was surveyed
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96% of vacant / abandoned buildings that received an offensive fire attack
were found to be demolished, abandoned, or vacant and secured.
41%
47%
8%3% 1%
Status of Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
After Offensive Attack
April 2006 - April 2007
Demolished Abandoned Boarded Under Repair Occupied
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Sites of Firefighter Injury, April 2006 – April 2007
Vacant and abandoned buildings that received an
offensive attack in which a firefighter(s) was injuredwere demolished within an average of:
270 days
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City of Flint Demolition Criteria
“When the cost to repair exceeds the current
market value of a structure, the decision is made
to proceed with demolition.”
Source: Taxes.cityofflint.com/bsi/Procedure.htm
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Average Vacant / Abandoned House Fire in Flint,
April 2006 – April 2007
• 79-year-old building
• Value: $11,524
• Condemned Properties: $7,182
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Conclusions from Departmental Injury Study:
• Firefighter injury rate far exceeded national average
• 1.1% civilian involvement during study period
• Vacant / abandoned building fires were the source of
62% of injuries and 79% of the cost of injuries
• 96% of fire buildings receiving offensive attacks were
either not repaired or demolished
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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City of Flint Fire Department
Abandoned Building Fire Policy
8/14/2019 Abandoned Building Fires: Successfully Reducing Firefighter Injuries With Risk Management
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What is an abandoned building?
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An abandoned building is a property that has no legal
occupants and is neglected with no efforts being made to
preserve its value or condition.
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What is a vacant building?
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A vacant property is currently unoccupied with reasonableefforts being made by the owner to preserve the structure’s
value and condition.
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Occupied and Vacant Buildings
• Highest level of risk taken to save savable lives
• Acceptable levels of risk taken to save savable property based
on NFPA 1500 Rules of Engagement
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Abandoned Buildings
• Highest level of risk taken to save savable lives
• No level of unacceptable risk may be taken to save abandoned
property based on NFPA 1500 Rules of Engagement
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All buildings, whether occupied, vacant, or
abandoned will receive thorough searches
for potential victims
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City of Flint Fire Department
Fire Suppression Tactics
at
Abandoned Building Fires
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Abandoned Building Fires
Minimal to Heavy Fire Conditions
• Defensive / exterior operations first
• Transition to interior extinguishment / overhaul operations
permitted if structural / hazard conditions permit safe entry
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Abandoned Building Fires
Heavy to Fully Involved Fire Conditions
•
Defensive operations only
• Consideration by Incident Commander to
concede structure as lost
• Incident Commander can call for immediate
response of demolition crews
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Demolition Requests
• After any fire in a vacant or abandoned property, the address
is submitted to the Building Department for evaluation,
boarding, and / or initiation of the demolition process.
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Demolition Lists
• List available in Battalion
Chief’s vehicle
• Addresses programmed into
911 Center database
• Updated monthly
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The Old Fire Department Attitude Towards
Abandoned Building Fires
• Fight it and forget it
• If it’s not on fire, it’s not our problem
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6802 College Place Fire: November 2, 2006
Offensive attack
Firefighter suffered an extremity injury
Building demolished: May 28, 2009
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6802 College Place
• Burned November 2006, injured
a firefighter
• Burned in June 2007. Fire spread to
occupied house, displacing a family
•
Exposure house remains unoccupiedas of August 18, 2009
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2122 East Carpenter
• Burned in June 2006
• Burned three times within two
days in June 2007
• Burned in August 2007. Fire
spread to an occupied house,
displacing a family
• The occupied house has
been demolished
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2122 East Carpenter
“Something should have been
done about that property a lot
quicker. Vandals keep comingback and horsing with it.”
“There wasn’t enough done to keep
people out of it. They didn’t board
it up.” John Fanko, Homeowner
Source: FFD Policy Could Have Prevented Thursday Fire. ABC12.com (August 2007)
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Media and Public Reaction
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1505 Canniff
September 1, 2007
9 working fires in
1500 block of Canniff
within 10 months
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Flint Journal Article
September 4, 2007© Flint Journal (2007)
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Flint Journal ArticleNovember 25, 2007© Flint Journal (2007)
“The two-story house next door,stripped of half it’s siding, is a
daily annoyance.”
“Residents are discouraged by
run-down abandoned buildings
in their neighborhood.”
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Flint Journal Article
November 25, 2007© Flint Journal (2007)
“They see their property values
going down while their home-
owners insurance rates are
going up.”
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Flint Journal ArticleNovember 25, 2007© Flint Journal (2007)
“The day the house comes down
will be ‘the happiest day of my
life. If we could get rid of that,
we’d get rid of most of our
problems.’ ” Shirley Bradley, 82
Flint, MI
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A Tale of Two Cities
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Fire Chief Magazine
• “Nothing good comes from vacant buildings unlessthey’re renovated or demolished.”
• “There’s a misperception by some that vacant buildingspay taxes and that the tax base is reduced if thesebuildings are removed.”
Source: Did The Worcester Six Die In Vain? That’s Up To Us.
Charles H. Rule. Fire Chief Magazine (May 2000)
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Fire Chief Magazine
•
“[M]any times the land is more valuable foreconomic redevelopment if it’s vacant than if adilapidated building sits there.”
Source: Did The Worcester Six Die In Vain? That’s Up To Us.
Charles H. Rule. Fire Chief Magazine (May 2000)
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Metawanenee Hills
“For years, abandoned homes and open lots dominated the
landscape of the neighborhood. But an eyesore has
blossomed into a sight to be seen.”
Source: $5 Million Dollar Housing Project a Reality In Flint. ABC12.com (July 2007 )
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•
University Park Estates, Flint
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Does your community want this……
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...Or this?
University Park Estates, Flint
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City of Flint Fire Department
Abandoned Building Policy
Post-Implementation Results
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36
52
93
82
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1st Qtr 2007 2nd Qtr 2007 3rd Qtr 2007 4th Qtr 2007
2007 Fires at Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
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13.8
8.7
3.2 3.7
0
24
6
8
10
12
14
16
1st Qtr 2007 2nd Qtr 2007 3rd Qtr 2007 4th Qtr 2007
2007 Firefighter Injuriesper 100 Vacant / Abandoned Building Fires
© Flint Journal (2008)
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67%19%
7%
4%3%
Pre-Policy Tactics
Offensive Defensive Incipient
Exterior Transitional
57%21%
11%
4% 7%
Post-Policy Tactics
Offensive Defensive Incipient
Exterior Transitional
Fire Suppression Tactics at Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
2-1-2006 to 7-31-2007 8-1-2007 to 1-31-2009
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Fireground Injuries at Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
37%
21%3%
9%
6%6%
3%9% 6%
Pre-Policy Injuries
Burn Extremity StrainBack Strain Abdominal StrainDebris in Eye MultipleHeat Exhaustion ContusionPuncture Wound
18%
25%
18%
18%
3%
3%
4%
4%
7%
Post-Policy Injuries
Burn Extremity StrainBack Strain MultipleCardiac Debris in EyeTooth ContusionLaceration
2-1-2006 to 7-31-2007 8-1-2007 to 1-31-2009
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Burn Injuries, 18-Month Comparison
Pre-Policy: 12
Post-Policy: 5
Injury Time Due To Burns: - 60%
Restricted Duty Time Due To Burns: - 25%Total Cost of Burn Injuries: - 22%
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Post-Implementation, 18-Month Comparison
• Fires: + 32%
• Injuries: - 24%
• Rate of Injury: - 42%
• Injury Time: - 36%
• Restricted Duty Time: - 32%
• Cost of Injuries: - 32%
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2009 Injuries at Vacant / Abandoned Buildings
• 141 fires
• 5 firefighter injuries
• Rate of Injury: 3.5 per 100 incidents(National Average: 3.7 injuries per 100 incidents)
Data as of August 18, 2009
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Recommendations for Abandoned Building Fires
• S l o w D o w n
• NFPA 1500, Risk / Benefit Analysis
• Educate!
• Emphasize safe operations
• See the big picture, not just the flames
• Be proactive, not reactive