The purpose of the study was to assess the state of fire prevention research, provide an updated synthesis of evaluated fire
prevention programs, and discuss the role of fire fighters and data systems in prevention efforts. The review included all
evaluations of U.S. based fire prevention interventions published between January 1998 and September 2004 and any earlier
articles about U.S. fire prevention interventions not included in two prior review articles. We retrieved information from
each identified study including evaluation findings, involvement of fire service personnel and use of existing data systems.
We identified twelve articles: seven reported on
smoke alarm interventions, three on
multi-faceted programs, and two
other programs. Five programs involved fire service personnel in the design, implementation, and/or evaluation, and three used
existing data systems. Studies reviewed suggest that canvassing and smoke alarm installations are the most effective means
of distributing alarms and increasing the functional status of distributed alarms. The functionality of smoke alarms, an issue
noted in earlier reviews, remains a problem. Programs involving partnerships with fire departments have indicated success
in preventing fires and deaths, improving smoke alarm ownership and functional status, and improving children’s fire safety
knowledge. Using existing data systems to target and to evaluate interventions was effective. In the years since prior reviews,
some improvements in the rigor of evaluation designs have been made, but there is still a need for high quality evaluations
that will inform fire injury prevention efforts.
Keywords smoke alarms - residential fires - program evaluation - fire data systems - fire service personnel
Van M. Ta is a Doctoral Candidate of the Department of Health Policy and Management, Shannon Frattaroli is an Assistant Scientist
of the Department of Health Policy and Management, Gwendolyn Bergen is a Data Analyst of the Department of Health Policy and
Management, and Andrea C. Gielen is a Professor of the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, all at The Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.