The human consequences of domestic fires'

1
The human consequencesof domestic fires.

• Dominiek Viaene, administrator EBCA

2
It happens close to your home today!

• Simple causes, heavy consequences
• Smoking cigaret falls between the pillows of a
  sofa
• A light or heat source is too close to the
  curtains
• The decoration of the home party sets fire
• An implosion of a TV set puts the living room in
  fire
• Someone left the iron on
• A burning object is thrown in a waste basket

3
And what about the victims?

• Heavily burned people need a lot of intensive
  care, for the rest of their lifetime.
• Medical care and after care,
• Financial care,
• Psychological care,
• Human care for reintegration
  into society...

4
Statistics on domestic fires global

• Estimate is that about 1 of the European people
  are confronted with burns each year (approx. 5
  mln people)
• Calculated on the Belgian figures with
  extrapolation (thanks Martin)
• 1.200 heavily burned on 10,5 mln people 0,0114
  
• Extrapolation on European level gives approx
  57.200 burned
• Calculated on the London figures with
  extrapolation (thanks Steve)
• 1.207 fire injuries on 7,5 mln people 0,016
• Extrapolation on European level gives approx
  80.500 burned
• Calculated on the French statistics (thanks Paul)
• 10.000 hospitalisations, dont 3.500 dans les
  centres spécialisés 0,0143
• Extrapolation on European level gives approx
  71.500 burned
• This is an estimate of the people that go to
  specialised care centers. The real numbers
  (including ER and G.P. visits) will more than
  likely be significantly higher.

5
Statistics on domestic fires global

• 30 of this number are kids lt 14 years.
• 40 of all victims are younger than 21 years old.
• More than 50 of this number are poor.
• The vast majority of this happens in domestic
  fires.

6
The place of the incident
7
The kind of incident
Source Belgian Burn statistics.
8
Statistics on domestic fires

• What do we know, without statistical proof in
  Europe?
• The number of casualties (deaths and heavily
  burned people) can be limited if
• the fire spreads (more) slowly
• the fire is early detected
• the domestic place has a fire exit/fire escape
  plan
• Higher fire safety standards for upholstered
  furniture and other domestical applicances can
  help a lot to limit this number of casualties.
• It is a pity that all discussions between
  industry and EU tend to block on details in stead
  of drawing the general lines, in favour of
  general consumer interest.

9
Who or what is EBCA?

• EBCA European Burn Casualties Association, a
  group of national burn patients associations in
  Europe
• EBCA is a new European and result oriented
  association to be partner of the EU in improving
  fire safety and burn care in Europe, from a
  patients point of view.
• EBCA was founded by Pinocchio vzw (Belgium) and
  ABF (France)
• EBCA is based in the burn center of Brussels, a
  future reference center for burn care in Europe
• NBS (Holland) has joined us already
• We are talking to a German patient group.
• And looking for
• a British patient group
• and a Scandinavian patient group for the first
  expansion

10
What are the EBCA goals?

• Increase awareness amoung EU decision makers of
  burn injury and fire safety issues
• Collection of complete and reliable burn injury
  and fatality statistics at a European level
• Work on standardization in EU to the highest
  level of recommendations, laws and regulations on
  prevention activities, fire safety and care and
  after care for patients
• Knowledge sharing between the member states of EU
  regarding prevention and fire safety initiatives,
  medical care and after care for burns patients,
  psychological treatment and after care for burns
  patients in their reintegration process back into
  normal life
• To reinforce the individual country related
  patients groups, and give them more synergy power
  to try to do something about the causes of burns
• To support the EU and EFA as a neutral reflection
  panel in decision making on all elements of burn
  care and fire safety
• From a patients points of view.

11
Thank you!

• EBCA www.ebca.info