10-13-04 Special Called Meeting of the La Porte Fire Review Board Minutes

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Structure Fires in Religious and Funeral Properties by Property Type 1994-1998 Annual Averages Civilian Civilian Direct Occupancy Fires Deaths Injuries Property Damage Church, temple, mosque or chapel 1,240 1 23 $40,500,000 Church hall 330 0 3 $5,800,000 Religious education facility 160 0 2 $2,500,000 Funeral parlor or chapel 80 1 2 $2,000,000 Unclassified or unknown-type religious or funeral property 180 0 1 $6,600,000 Total 1,990 2 33 $57,400,000 Note: These are fires reported to U.S. municipal fire departments and so exclude fires reported only to Federal or state agencies or industrial fire brigades. Fires are rounded to the nearest ten, deaths and injuries to the nearest one, and direct property damage to the nearest hundred thousand dollars. Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors. Damage has not been adjusted for inflation. Source: National estimates based on NFIRS and NFPA survey. Since 1980, religious and funeral property fires fell 43%. Church fires and church arsons caused considerable concern in the mid-1990s. While these fires did jump 16% from 1,890 (the lowest point since 1980) in 1995, to 2,180 (the highest point since 1992) in 1996, the long-term trend shows that the problem is getting better. Fires in the religious and funeral parlor occupancy group fell 43% from 3,500 in 1980 to 2,000 in 1999. From 1998 to 1999, they rose 5%. Intentionally set fires in this occupancy class fell 70% from 1,320 in 1980 to 390 in 1999. This is consistent with the record low numbers of these fires seen in 1997 and 1998. (See Tables I and 2.) These trends are graphed in Figure 1. In comparison, structure fires of all types declined 51 % from 1980 to 1999, and rose 1 % from 1998 to 1999. * Intentionally set structure fires fell 64% from 1980 to 1999. ** Electrical distribution equipment and intentional firesetting were the leading causes. Tables 3-6 provide causal information about fires in the whole occupancy class and in each specific occupancy. The 1999 data is presented first, followed by annual averages for the five year period from 1994 through 1998. (Some property use codes have been consolidated in Version 5.0 ofNFIRS. The1994-1998 tables for categories that have been consolidated are grouped together.) In 1999, electrical distribution equipment (20%) ranked first among the causes of these properties as a whole, and intentional firesetting (also 20%) was a close second. The order was reversed in the 1994-1998 period, with * Marty Ahrens, The US. Fire Problem Overview Report - Leading Causes and Other Patterns and Trends. Quincy, NFP A, Fire Analysis and Research Division, June 2003. .. John R. Hall, Jr., US. Arson Trends and Patterns. Quincy, NFPA, Fire Analysis and Research Division, March, 200 I. Fires in Religious and Funeral Properties. 12/03 2 NFP A Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA