

		6 North Carolinians have lost their lives in cigarette-related fires since this coalition was formed in January 2007.

Statistics on Fire-related Deaths and Injuries
in North Carolina

Fire Statistics: North Carolina Fire Incident Reporting System (NC FIRS), 2005

More than 9,600 structure fires were reported in 2005 to the North Carolina Fire Incident Reporting System
The majority (79%) of structure fires occurred in people’s homes
Cigarettes, pipes and cigars were the largest heat source contributors to fires, followed by smoking-related devices like matches and cigarette lighters
Smoke detectors were found in less than 50% of all structure fires
Nearly 100 deaths and more than 800 injuries were reported to the NC FIRS in 2005 as a result of a fire-related event, of which 27% were firefighters

Fire-Related Deaths: North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 1999 – 2005

Over half (54%) of all fire deaths occurred among working age North Carolina residents between the ages of 25 and 64
Another 30% of all fire deaths occurred among the elderly
Twice as many men than women died from a fire-related injury between 1999 and 2005
The annual number of fire and burn deaths in North Carolina decreased 15% between 1999 and 2005, the largest decrease (18%) being seen for males

Fire-Related Injuries: North Carolina Hospital Emergency Department Visits, 2006

More than 9,500 visits to emergency rooms were recorded in 2006 for North Carolina residents treated for fire-related injuries, or an average of 26 visits per day
Young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 had the highest rate of fire-related injuries requiring emergency room care
For every fire-related death among children under age 5, there were 212 fire-related injuries presenting to the emergency department
The percentage of men and women being seen in an emergency room for a fire-related injury was similar (men: 55%, women: 45%)
Payment for burn-related injuries varied little by the type of coverage: private insurance (27%), Medicaid and Medicare (31%), self-pay (26%)

Fire-Related Injuries and Deaths: North Carolina Trauma Registry, 07/01/01 – 06/30/06

Over 1,400 visits to a trauma facility for a fire- or burn-related injury were recorded in North Carolina between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2006
Working age adults between 25 and 64 years of age made up more than 60% of all trauma facility visits for a fire-related injury
More men were treated at a trauma facility for fire-related injuries than women (men: 78%, women: 22%)
Over two-thirds of the individuals presenting to a trauma facility for a fire or burn injury were white, and over 20% were black
Payment for fire and burn trauma services did not vary by type of insurance coverage: private insurance (33%), Medicaid and Medicare (33%), and self-pay (28%)