ABSTRACT
Fires are damaging and deadly. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2004, 395,500 home fires were reported in the United States, which resulted in 3,190 deaths, 13,700 injured, and $5.8 billion in direct property damage. Although 96 percent of U.S. households have at least one smoke detector, about 70 percent of the deaths occur in homes with no alarms or working alarms.
