Importance of Fire Safety in NYC During Winter

 Fire-related fatalities in New York City are near record lows. According to a Crain’s New York article, 59 people died in fires in New York City last year, which is a decrease of 17 percent and just one more than the record low for deaths set in 2012. This death count was the second lowest since the city began keeping records of fire-related deaths in 1916. The worst fire of 2015 was on March 21 when seven children from the same family died in a house fire in Brooklyn. FDNY also set a new record in 2015 for the most emergency-related responses – 1.7 million – which was up 6.4 percent from 2014. The city has now recorded 10 consecutive years with fewer than 100 fire-related deaths annually.

The Threat of Winter Fires
As we enter the coldest part of the winter, the risks of fires and carbon monoxide poisonings increase, especially as we stay indoors with windows closed to stay warm. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 905 people nationwide die in winter home fires each year. Property damage from winter home fires totals more than $2 billion. About 67 percent of winter fires occur in one- or two-family homes and a majority are cooking related. The most common time for winter home fires is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. In New York City there are a number of things homeowners and apartment owners can do to ensure that they and their tenants stay safe in the winter.
Chimney Maintenance
Chimneys are one of the most common locations where residential fires originate and as the temperatures plummet and more people turn to stoves and fireplaces to heat their homes, chimney safety becomes crucial. As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to ensure that the chimney is serviced and maintained to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and toxic gas that causes hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S. If a chimney is blocked or in disrepair, it can inhibit proper ventilation and can also cause a fire. Nearly all the residential fires that originate in the chimney are preventable. Homeowners should make sure that a qualified professional checks the chimney every year and also ensure that a chimney cap has been installed. Chimneys should be inspected for damage after a storm.
Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke alarms save lives. If there is a fire in your house or apartment, the smoke spreads quickly and you need functional smoke alarms to alert you and give you time to get out. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a fire by half. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths result from fires in homes that do not have smoke alarms or have non-functioning smoke alarms. New York City homeowners and apartment owners are required under the law to install smoke alarms near every bedroom. It is important to have these alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home. All smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.
Here are a few facts and numbers to give you an idea of how important smoke alarms are:
• Between 2007 and 2011, three out of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes that did not have a smoke alarm or had fire alarms which did not work.
• No smoke alarms were present in more than 37 percent of the home fire deaths.
• Also between 2007 and 2011, smoke alarms sounded in half of the home fires reported to U.S. fire departments.
Compensation for Victims of Fires
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire as a result of poor maintenance or negligence on the part of your landlord, property management company and/or property owner and/or other responsible parties, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your significant losses by filing what is known as a premises liability claim. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, permanent injuries, disabilities, scarring and disfigurement, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims can seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim as well.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recovered $985,000 out of a $1,000,000 insurance policy for two victims of smoke inhalation.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20160108/NEWS/160109903/city-fire-deaths-decline-to-near-record-low