What Human Behaviour Can Tell Us About Residential Fire Safety

1. What Human Behaviour Can Tell Us About Residential Fire Safety inFire Meeting 29 February 2012 Wellington Dr Ian Miller Registered Psychologist

2. Background This presentation considers aspects of fire research undertaken since 2004, including the following - Miller, I. ( 2005) Human Behaviour Contributing to Unintentional Residential Fire Deaths 1997-2003. NZFS Research Report 49 Miller, I. & Davey, J. ( 2007) The Risks, Perceptions and Experiences of Fire Among Older People. NZFS Research Report 71 Both Reports were funded by the NZFS Contestable Research Fund whose support is gratefully acknowledged

3. Other sources include – Miller, I. (2010). Behaviour & Contents: Missing Elements in the Fire Safety Equation. Presentation to SPFE. Auckland, NZ Miller, I. (2009). Behaviour, Fire and Older People. Presentation to 4th International Symposium on Human Behaviour and Fire. Cambridge, UK. Miller, I. (2008). Human Behavioural Factors & the New Zealand Fire Performance Code. Report to Department of Building & Housing. Wellington. NZ Miller, I., & Beever, P. (2005). Victim Behaviours, Intentionality, & Differential Risks in Residential Fire Deaths. Presentation 1st International Conference on Safety & Security Engineering. Rome, Italy.

4. 1947 US Presidential Commission on Fire Education 3E Model Engineering Enforcement “Carelessness and recklessness – the human element – constitute a major contribution to our annual toll of death and destruction by fire. But the educational approach has its limitations and must be fortified and supported by the application of modern scientific methods and techniques of construction, protection, firefighting and statutory requirements. These are the roles of engineering and enforcement in the fire prevention field. The importance of each approach is recognized in the balanced, comprehensive action programme of the Conference.” What is the progress over 65 years?

5. Fire Safety Design Process Expectation that fire behaviour is considered • Using established scientific methodology • Substantial research data available Expectation that human behaviour is considered • Difficult to quantify some behavioural factors • Difficult to define expected behaviour patterns • Limited recognition of human behaviour studies of fire

6. Behavioural Data Sources – Unintentional Residential Fire Fatalities Database: includes all Fire Reports and Coronial Investigations on unintentional residential fire deaths from 1.9.94. Curently 336 cases (108 cases under review) All building fires reported to NZFS 2004 - 2007 (16,173 events). This includes injury data for 2004-2007 supplemented with additional information fron NZ Health Informations Service.

7. Key Fire Incidence findings – • 57.0% of all building fires involve single dwellings or multi-unit Housing, - Commercial and Industrial buildings are involved in 21.3% of fires • Housing is a special case. Activities in the home are not always governed by expectations that apply in other settings - fire responses may be laissez faire or impromptu compared to other contexts where normative responses and obedience to fire instructions are social expectations. Activities in the homepotentially increase fire risks as less formal constraints apply compared to other settings.

8. Incidence of All Fires by Building Classification N = 16,473

9. N = 16,473 Attributed Causation of Building Fires

10. Features of Fatal Building Fires 1988-2008 Fatal fires largely occur in housing (67.6%). Mobile motor vehicle fires are the next highest group of fatalities (17.7%).

12. Fatal Residential Fire Deaths 1995-2008 N= 236 • Most unintentional fatal residential fires involve single casualties, in 236 individual residential fires - • 205 (86.9%) involved 1 death • 21 (8.9%) involved 2 deaths • 9 (3.8%) involved 3 deaths • 1 (0.4%) involved 5 deaths • Most victims died in the fire or immediately proximate to it – • 86.2% died at the time of the fire • 5.8% within 24 hours • The longest survivor succumbed 40 days after the fire

13. Age Grouping Fatal Residential Fires Children & Young Persons 28.3% Adults 48.1% Older People 23.6%

14. Causes of Fatal Residential Fires 1995-2008 Human agency is overwhelmingly implicated in unintentional residential fire fatalities, as is illustrated in the following causes of fatal fires – Unattended cooking 17.3% Careless smoking 16.9% Carelessness with material ignited 12.9% Child with Flame 8.8% Carelessness with heat source 8.8% Around 12% of fires were due to undetermined causes - usually these involved multiple options which could not be defined to a single cause.

15. Causation of Fatal Residential Fires N = 249

16. Diurnal Pattern of Fatal Residential Fires The diurnal pattern of unintentional fatal fires contrasts with non-fatal fires and highlights nocturnal factors as contributive factors. Higher likelihood between 2200-0700 hrs than non-fatal unintentional fires.

17. Deprivation Index Decile and Fatal Residential Fires The DID is derived from census mesh block records for all addresses. It is adjusted with each census and provides a deprivation score derived from 9 variables reflecting 8 dimensions of material and social deprivation including– income, employment, communication, transport, support, qualifications, living space, & home ownership. DIDuses a scale ranging from 1 (the least deprived scores) to 10 (the most deprived scores). These scores provide indicative information about properties where fatal fires have occurred rather than absolute measures - they offer some objective indication about the socio-economic status of the residences involved in fatal fires. Note: these scores apply to areas rather than to individual people.

18. Deprivation Index Decile and Fatal Residential Fires 74.8% in Deciles 6-10 50.0% in Deciles 8-10 Least Deprived Most Deprived

19. Injury data suggests that debate over whether burns or smoke inhalation are the more serious risk factors is somewhat academic – • Smoke appears a more insidious risk factor as occupants • may not seek to avoid contact with it in the early stages of • fire growth thus exposing themselves to developing health • consequences. • Flames and heat usually provoke an immediate avoidance • responses.

20. Inquest Cause of Residential Fire Deaths Note: more than one cause can apply to an individual fatality

21. % Blood CO Saturation in Fire Fatalities NZ Residential Fire Fatalities: 1995-2000 Incapacitation Impairment Discomfort Note: Blood CO levels not available in all cases

22. Blood Alcohol in Fatal Residential Fires NZ Residential Fire Fatalities: 1995-2000 Adults Children & Young Persons Older People DICH Threshold NZ Legal Driving Limit Note: Blood alcohol levels not available in all cases

24. A Challenge for Fire Safety and Prevention While regulatory requirements and engineering have increasingly reduced building fire risks, these have had a lesser impact on the behaviour of occupants. Specifically, the nature of contents brought into buildings and risky activities of occupants suggests that a major challenge for fire safety and prevention involves assumptions thatall people are equally educable about fire risks - especially in the home. “My home is my castle” belies a belief that individual security and attachment is tied to the home and living environment. Unfortunately, normative behaviour in the home does not always relate to that exhibited in public or the work place, especially concerning fire safety and prevention.

25. Questions?