Forty years ago, experts estimated that occupants had 17 minutes to escape a house fire. That timeframe is frighteningly short in today’s newer homes: three minutes. Research suggests that new homes burn up to eight times faster than legacy construction. We spoke with Jason Blair, Owner, Paul Davis Restoration Sud Ouest/Rive Sud, Quebec, about what has changed and how modern homeowners can keep their families safe.
Q: Why does newer construction pose worse fire hazards?
JB: Legacy homes were built with natural materials that burned more slowly. Their structures held up longer as fires progressed, allowing more time to escape and more time for emergency personnel to safely fight the blaze. Today’s homes are constructed with lighter - often synthetic - materials like plastics and particle board that burn more quickly, emit toxins and fail faster.
Q: Do newer home designs pose more fire risks?
JB: The global safety organization Underwriters Laboratories estimates that newer homes are up to 50 percent bigger than they were 50 years ago. Ceilings are higher, too. Many buyers favor open plan layouts, which contain fewer doors and walls to divide living spaces. These design elements enable fires to spread faster and burn hotter.
Q: Are fittings and furnishings more flammable too?
JB: Yes, they are. The days of furniture built of natural materials like kiln-dried lumber, wool and cotton are long gone. Those materials usually burned slowly. Today’s furniture pieces are often entirely synthetic, made of engineered fabrics and plastics. They may resist catching fire if exposed to heat and flame but they burn rapidly once ignited. These furnishings also release noxious fumes and thick toxic smoke that damage lungs and overwhelm occupants.
Q: What can homeowners do to protect their homes and families?
JB: Prevention and planning ahead are the best ways to reduce fire risks. Create an escape plan and practice it with your family. Install and maintain smoke detectors - link them together so all alarm if one is triggered. Place fire extinguishers in easily accessed locations. Practise safety in areas and with equipment that pose the greatest residential fire hazards: the kitchen and heating equipment (usually space heaters).
Q: Do you have any final tips to keep families safe from fire in newer homes?
JB: Talk to your insurance carrier to ensure your homeowner’s coverage adequately covers fire damage. And remember that Paul Davis Restoration is on call to help you 24/7/365 if your home is damaged by a blaze. Call 800-661-5975.