Isle risk of death by fire
among lowest in nation
Fire deaths in Honolulu are among the lowest in the nation because of prevention programs, resources and community cooperation, says Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi.
The U.S. Fire Administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday the risk of death by fire of young children in Hawaii is lower than the national average.
It listed 41 residential deaths from fire in Hawaii from 1989 to 1998, including three children under age 5. (The Honolulu Fire Department lists 32 civilian deaths in home fires from 1993 through 2002 but has no age breakdown.)
The Department of Homeland Security, which now operates FEMA, said 5,712 children under age 5 died in fires in the United States from 1989 through 1998.
FEMA has launched a campaign to raise awareness about increased risk of fire death for young children and to teach parents and caregivers how they can protect their children.
Hawaii already is doing a good job in that area, Leonardi said. "Any death is unacceptable," he stressed, "but we do have one of the lowest (rates) in the nation" for adults as well as kids, he added.
"For a while, we had the lowest death rate in the United States," he said. That changed a little in 1998 with a spike of 12 civilian deaths, including seven in a Palolo house fire, he said.
But in other years from 1993 to 2002, the total number of civilian fire deaths per year ranged from three to none.
Leonardi also noted that dollar losses from Honolulu fires have dropped each year, from $15.6 million in 1995 to $9.7 million last year.
The fire chief attributes Honolulu's low fire death rate to myriad factors: Subdivisions meet fire codes and have smoke detectors, and the Fire Department has partnerships with industry to make sure new homes have detectors, he said.
He said Honolulu has a strong Fire Prevention Bureau that goes out and inspects buildings, and a strong education program in schools that teaches fire prevention and protection.
The Fire Department delivers fire safety materials for developing an escape plan to schools, which kids then take home to their parents, and firemen go to schools and hold open houses at the stations in a fire prevention effort.
Further, Leonardi said, "You've got a city that puts resources into a first-responder fire department and allows us to keep up to do the job better."
The 42 fire stations across the island are computerized and have modern firetrucks that can quickly get to a fire and get it under control, he said.
"Historically, we have been able to do a good job," Leonardi said, suggesting islanders may be more conscious of fire than many other communities and that neighbors look out for neighbors. People call quickly to report a fire, which cuts down response time, he said.
"It's a package, no one thing, a concerted effort on everyone's part," he said.
Fire safety information may be obtained from the U.S. Fire Administration's Web site at www.usfaparents.gov.
