Linthicum Heights, MD, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On December 3rd, two children under the age of five were killed in a house fire in Salisbury, North Carolina. Fire engulfed the floor which the children were on, and firefighters could not reach them. `

On November 29th, an 8-year-old girl was killed in a house fire in Leesville, Louisiana.

On November 28th, a 12-year-old child was killed, along with a 19-year-old-woman in a house fire in Kentwood, Michigan.

On November 18th, a 10-year-old child was killed in a house fire in Onslow, Iowa. The death was part of a deadly week in the state of Iowa. Eight people were killed in residential fires statewide. Six of the victims were children.

On November 16th, a home fire in Mason City, Iowa took the lives of four children, ages 12, 10, 6, and 3. The fire was caused by an overloaded power strip.

The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) has been tracking media-reported child fire fatalities since the beginning of 2022. We have logged news articles that report 217 children as victims of fatal fires since January. These fires occurred in apartments, townhomes, single family residences and condominiums. Although the residences varied, one thing did not; none were equipped with fire sprinklers.

Over 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home. The single most effective way to prevent fire-related deaths is the installation of residential fire sprinklers. Residential sprinklers can control and often extinguish a fire before the fire department arrives. According to modern research by Underwriters Laboratory’s Fire Safety Research Institute, fire spread is six times faster than it was 30 years ago. Families typically have less than three minutes after a fire starts to get out safely. Since the 2009 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC), the model code has included a requirement for all new one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses to include fire sprinkler systems. 13 years later, most U.S. homes are still being built without them.

“We can do better, and we can do more,” explains NFSA President Shane Ray. “Losing children in fires underscores the importance of fire protection, and there’s no better prevention technology than fire sprinklers. This also reminds us that fire risks increase during the holidays.”

Over 1 million homes per year have been built for the past ten years, adding to the estimated 140 million existing homes, according to the US Census Bureau. This means the fire problem is getting worse because only California, Maryland, and the District of Columbia adopt the building codes without amending fire sprinkler requirements out.

“We represent the most effective means of buying you time to escape a fire and for the fire department to arrive. We also represent the only product in residences that is singled out in 26 state laws as prohibited in the code adoption process. Shame on these states.” adds a passionate Ray, who is a former fire chief and state fire marshal. “The deaths of these children and the thousands of others that die in fire in the future are on the hands of those who work to exclude fire sprinklers.”

NFSA collects information from across the country on when fire sprinklers save lives and property. We have lives saved every day in buildings protected with fire sprinklers. Over 37,000 people have died in building fires since 2010 without fire sprinklers. In the same time period, only 68 people have died in building fires with fire sprinklers.

“It doesn’t matter how old the residence is, it’s the contents that kill people and causes cancer to firefighters,” explains Ray, who spent the first 26 years of his career as a firefighter and fire officer. According to the United States Fire Administration there has been a 24% increase in fire deaths. This will only continue to get worse as more houses are built with more and more unregulated contents that are brought into this country.”

About the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA): NFSA was founded in 1905 and wants to create a more fire safe world and works to heighten the awareness of the importance of fire sprinkler systems from homes to high-rise and all occupancies in between. The Association is an inclusive organization made up of dedicated and committed members of a progressive life-saving industry. This industry manufactures, designs, supplies, installs, inspects, and services the world’s most effective system in saving lives and property from uncontrolled structural fires.

NFSA is a proud partner with U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell as she leads efforts to unite fire service organizations, associations, and leaders as “one fire service voice” -- calling attention to key areas that can reduce fire deaths in America. For more information on this initiative visit: U.S. Fire Administrator's Summit (fema.gov) .

NFSA also encourages everyone to view a new video trailer from Common Voices that showcases the advocates’ voice in fire safety and prevention. Common Voices advocates have all lost a loved one in a fire or are a burn survivor themselves. We applaud their work and are hopeful that a streaming service will pick up their idea for a Docu-Series titled “The Truth Burns” – view the trailer here: https://youtu.be/XnId2ybftfA

For more information about fire sprinklers, how they work and access to additional resources and information, visit www.firesprinklersbuytime.com or www.nfsa.org for the latest material, statistics and a dedicated team of fire safety advocates ready to serve all stakeholders in order to fulfill the vision of a safer world.

CONTACT: Vickie Pritchett National Fire Sprinkler Association 615-533-0305 pritchett@nfsa.org