The Historical Progression of the Fire Problem in the U.S.

United States Fire Problems
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The Historical Progression of the Fire Problem in the U.S.
Every twenty-three seconds, a fire response service in America receives a fire call somewhere. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the startling statistics are the exact description of the history of the fire problem in the U.S. The issue in the country traces its origins to the 1970s, whereby the country had the most fire deaths per capita worldwide at 34.4% per one million people, costing the country over 30 billion yearly, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (1987, pp. 22). Fires killed more American citizens when compared to natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes combined, making them the third major cause of accidental deaths in America to date ((Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1987, pp. 22). The high death rates did not go unnoticed; the ruling regime published the American Burning publication to deal with this significant problem in 1972. The change in fire regulations saw substantial changes in fire death statistics whereby by 2007, the U.S. was ranked 10th country with the highest fire death rates, down from number one with deaths per capita plummeting to 12.4% (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1997, pp. 1-3).
America’s fire problems, intentional, accidental, or preventable, commonly occur in the following areas. Home structure fires are one of the leading causes of civilian deaths, occurring due to cooking accidents, heating equipment catching fire, and electrical and lighting malfunction. Vehicle fires, forest fires, structure, and non-structure fires are also major causes of fires. While the country has actively worked to reduce fires incidents, 2020 fire reports indicate that the U.S. Fire department still responds to about 1.3 million fires every year, which results in thousands of injured people and the deaths of over three thousand civilians and firefighters (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1997, pp. 3-4).
Factors that Explain the Disparity Between the High Aggregate Cost of Fire for the Nation, States, and Communities and Lower Perceptions of Fire Risks and Cost
The U.S. grapples with a high death rate due to numerous fires that often break out and impose billions of dollars in cost. Nevertheless, the perception of fire as a risky and costly problem that necessitates preventive approaches is significantly low due to the following reasons.
The primary focus of the U.S. when it comes to fire is response as opposed to mitigation. The U.S. Firefighters Services is the primary response organization to fire incidents. The service mainly aims to suppress fires when they occur by providing a quick response in ten to twenty minutes once a fire call is received. Fire prevention in the United States is lowlily prioritized as fire suppression is considered the best course of action, as evidenced by the over 97% budget and staff allocation all over the country (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1997, pp.12). With the tendency to focus on ensuring the department’s response capabilities are pristine and take shorter periods rather than focusing on prevention and public education, fire risks and their cost continue to grow while the perception of the danger posed by fire remains low.
Attitudes toward the national government contribute to the high disparity between the cost of fires and its risk perception. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (1997, pp. 12), the American public has a low tolerance for an active government. The low tolerance levels impact fire protection and regulations, whereby states and cities responsible for fire regulation and protection can choose to independently develop their regulations instead of observing the nationally developed ones. While the locally developed guidelines can promote effective response to...