Children under five have the highest fire fatality risk

A study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) finds that children ages 14 and under accounted for 13 percent of fire deaths in 2007.  Fire injuries affected an estimated 1,900 children and nearly 510 children under the age of 15 died as a result of fires that year.

The youngest children were especially hard hit—52 percent of child fire deaths affected children ages 4 and younger. Very young children are typically dependent on others for their safety.  Children of this age generally lack the mental faculties to understand the need and the means of quickly escaping a burning structure. 

While older children face a lower risk of death or injury in a fire and are more mobile, they may not have sufficient abilities to protect themselves.  For children under the age of 15 in 2007, deaths from fire and burns were the second leading cause of nontransportation accidental deaths after drowning.

Use the I'm Safe Illustrated Easy Reader Tip Sheets to show parents ways they can protect young children from fire and burns. Written at a third grade level, the education information is available in English or Spanish.  

See all of our fire safety education materials at www.imsafe.com.