HOW TO SAVE THE LIVES OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE FROM RESIDENTIAL FIRES?

摘要

Fire deaths in wooden single houses account for 78% of the total fire death toll in all dwellings in Japan, and the fire incidence per households in wooden apartment houses is much higher than other dwelling types. At the same time, since the highest proportion of fatalities in these dwelling types are made up of the elderly and physically disabled, it is necessary to find fire safety measures suitable for these types of people as well as the above dwelling types. On the other hand, the per capita fatality rate for the elderly aged 65 or over has been declining in these 15 years in Japan. This means the aging of society alone may not directly lead to an increase in fire fatalities. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the issues of risk in residential fires while looking in more detail at the improvement of living conditions and physical abilities of the elderly.