International Fire Death Rate Trends

The number of fire fatalities in Sweden has not changed significantly during the last two decades, in spite of information campaigns and an increased use of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in homes. In recognition of this The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency initiated and funded a research program to investigate what could be done in order to reduce the fatalities in residential fires. This work is a first step in that process where fire fatalities statistics are studied to determine what measures have proven efficient in other countries. Both USA and Great Britain have reduced the number of fire fatalities steadily over the last three decades, and now have a lower fire death rate per capita compared to Sweden. One explanation to this could be that both countries have introduced fire regulations for furniture and furnishing, which is something that Sweden has not yet done.Key words: Fire, fire fatalities, fire statistics, residential fires.