A step towards zero: understanding preventable residential fire fatalities

On average, more than one preventable fire-related death occurs in a residential context every week in Australia. That equates to approximately the same number of deaths as occurred during the Black Saturday bushfires (173), every three years.

Drawing on 14 years of data, Hazard Note 70 provides an update on the evidence around the extent of preventable residential fire fatalities in Australia, those people most at risk of dying in residential fires, and the details of fire incidents and residences where fatal fires have occurred.

Findings show that more than one preventable fire fatality occurs per week, highlighting that reducing residential fire fatality risk is complex. This research, undertaken by Risk Frontiers, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Macquarie University, provides a set of data that fire services can use to develop evidence-based policy and practice to reduce the occurrence of preventable fatal residential fires. 

In addition to the Hazard Note, the full report is available here.

Further reading

AFAC (2005), Accidental fire injuries in residential structures: who's at risk, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council.

Aufiero M, Carlone T, Hawkins W and Murdy S (2011), Analysis of preventable fire fatalities of older people and people with disabilities: risk reduction advice for the community care sector, an interactive qualifying project report submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Insitute in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science, Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board.

Coates L, Kaandorp G, Harris J, van Leeuwen J, Avci A, Evans J, George S, Gissing A, van den Honert R and Haynes K (2019), Preventable residential fire fatalities: July 2003 to June 2017, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.