The Home and Social Habits

Many aspects of how people live affect the frequency of fires and fire deaths.

Most population of the United Kingdom lives in detached houses, i.e. houses standing by themselves and semi-detached ones, i.e. two houses joint together by one common wall with common chimney stacks. But a large minority lives in flats (apartments). House generally is a two-storey structure made of brick or stone. The second storеy of the house may have interior walls of timber and concrete or brick.

There are some American-style houses in the United Kingdom, where open floor plans and doorless doorways are used. But they are in the minority.

Most rooms in British houses have doors that stop the spread of deadly smoke from fires. Doors leading to stairways should have a half-hour fire rating.

The roofs of the houses are typically tile or slate. There is a number of houses that have medieval-style thatched roofs which are of high fire risk. People living in houses with thatched roofs often have spark arresters on chimneys.

Because of the nature of heating in the United Kingdom the combination of the heating systems varies from region to region. Most common is gas-fired central heating of water circulating through radiators in each room. Natural gas from the North Sea is inexpensive. Electric heating is more expensive but nevertheless is also fairly common.

Portable electric heaters and paraffin heaters are used as supplementary heating. Paraffin heater deaths are down since the heaters were required to be spill proof and to have a pressure switch that turns the heater off unless it is standing upright. Electric, butane, and paraffin heaters are often used. Among the main fire safety problems connected with using them is placing combustibles too close, such as clothes to dry.

There are substantial numbers of chimney fires in the United Kingdom but they rarely cause any damage. These are largely associated with fireplaces. Fireplace chimneys in the United Kingdom tend to be old and sturdy, especially those lined with cement.

In Scotland, coal or gas-fired open flame fireplaces are used for heating. Coal is still a commonly used fuel for new houses as well as old ones. In newer houses, however, coal tends to be used in a fireplace in the living room and supplemented by electric heat. In Scottish (and British) houses electric heating systems often consist of "storage heaters" that store heat during off-peak electrical usage times to save money. For example, a block of clay or bricks is heated during the night by an electric element, and then radiates the heat back during the day. The electric heating systems cause few fires. However, there is still considerable use of paraffin heaters in Scotland.

Careless handling of smoking materials is the leading cause of fire deaths and of the major causes of fires in the house.

The problem with careless handling of smoking materials more often involves ignition of upholstered furniture.

British children, like those everywhere, exhibit curiosity toward fire and cause their share of fires in the houses. Children also often start fires in connection with Guy Fawkes Day celebrations, which traditionally involve fireworks and bonfires.

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