Smoking

"Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is delighted to be working in partnership with The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. Our aim is to reduce the number of smoking related fire deaths and injuries in the home as well as reducing the number of smokers in Merseyside."

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the world wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer. Despite this disease being the biggest cancer killer of both men and women in the UK, only 3% of all cancer research funding is directed in this area. To view the above document please click here (PDF Format) 207Kb	Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service together with KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) from The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation share a common aim to encourage and help people to stop smoking. To view the above document please click here (PDF Format) 1,066Kb

To find out more about supporting the charity call 0871 220 5426 or visit their website at: www.roycastle.org

Fires caused by smoking make up 12% of accidental dwelling fires, within Merseyside. They accounted for 2/3 of all fatalities and 1 in 5 of all injuries.

Nationally in 2003, smokers materials stated 5,500 fires and caused one in every five injuries. Smokers materials (cigarettes, pipes) cause 75% of all smoking related fires. Matches and lighters start the remainder.

These fires are slightly more likely to occur at night. Around 25% happen between 10pm and 3am. However, there are no consistent peaks. In one year, 6am may be a very concentrated time but not in the next year.

Men are twice as likely to be victims of smoking-related fires as women. Age is not a major factor.

Children are often injured (but rarely killed) in these fires.

The sitting room and the bedroom are the main danger areas, with the sitting room twice as dangerous. Sleeping and inattention are clearly key issues.

Statistics and fire facts

There are about 12.1 million adult cigarette smokers' in the UK and another 2 million who smoke pipes and/or cigars. The mid-1990s saw a gradual increase in the number of child smokers. This trend is particularly among girls, with the number rising from 10% in 1992 to 15% in 1996.

The statistics shown here are national statistics.

Prevalence of cigarette smoking - percentage of adult population

	1974	1978	1982	1984	1986	1988	1990	1992	1994	1996
Men	51	45	38	36	35	33	31	29	28	29
Women	41	37	33	32	31	30	29	28	26	28
All	45	40	35	34	33	32	30	28	27	28

Source: N. Wald, UK Smoking Statistics, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 1991, as reproduced by ASH.

Fatal casualties from fires in dwellings by selected sources of ignition, gender and age, UK, 1998

Age & gender	Total	Smokers' materials	Cigarette lighters	Matches	Other & unspecified
Male	302	78	5	8	211
Female	193	55	2	5	131
Total	497	133	7	13	344

Non-fatal casualties from fires in dwellings by selected sources of ignition, gender and age, UK, 1998

Age & gender	Total	Smokers' materials	Cigarette lighters	Matches	Other & Unspecified
Male	7,708	947	166	125	6,470
Female	6,940	681	156	123	5,980
Total	14,672	1,632	322	249	12,469

Fatal casualties in accidental dwelling-fires where the source of ignition was smokers' materials by use of room where fire started, UK, 1998

Corridor, hall	Stairs	Other residential type	Living room, lounge	Common or rest room	Bedroom, dormitory, cabin	Bedsitting room	Dining room	Kitchen	Unspecified	Total
1	1	1	67	2	45	11	1	3	1	133

Fatal casualties in accidental dwelling-fires where the source of ignition was smokers' materials by circumstances, UK, 1998

Due to discovering fire	Bed- ridden	Trapped by fire while asleep, etc	Trapped by fire while asleep, etc	Trapped by smoke	Other	Fighting fire	Drunk or drugged	Chair- ridden	Total
5	3	43	6	11	35	3	20	7	133

The above four tables exclude brigade casualties and include late call and heat and smoke damage incidents.