Facts about missing smoke alarms
Close to 200,000 apartments catch fire yearly in Germany. On average 600 people die in the process, often children and seniors – individuals who a smoke alarm certainly would have saved. Approximately 6,000 of the 60,000 hurt each year from fires have serious, lasting injuries.
Each year, a lack of smoke alarms causes:
| 200,000 | House fires |
| 600 | Deaths |
| 60,000 | Injuries |
| 435,000,000 | Euros in Damages |
| 1,500,000,000 | Euros in Life Insurance, nursing care and unemployment benefits. |
The damage caused by house fires alone amounts to more than 435,000,000 Euros a year! Significantly higher sums are paid by life insurance policies, worker’s compensation and unemployment benefits, as well as for the health care costs of victims (1.5 billion Euros).
These sobering numbers of the damage estimate speak for themselves anew each year. A solution to the problem could be simple: smoke alarms clearly contribute to reducing these numbers significantly. Especially as the most serious consequences occur due to fires at night. We don’t smell smoke while sleeping! A smoke alarm, in comparison, immediately sounds an alarm at the first sign of smoke, wakes you and in doing so provides the necessary time for escape.
Who will wake you up when there's a fire?
Most deadly fires take place at night: forgotten candles or defective electrical appliances are often the cause. For this reason, fire departments, insurance companies and community initiatives have encouraged smoke alarms be installed in every apartment. The number of deaths due to fire in countries where smoke alarms are prevalent have sunk substantially.
Smoke alarms contribute significantly in these cases to a fire being noticed immediately and being nipped at the bud. Saving lives and taking appropriate measures against the fire is only possible with early smoke alarm detection.
Smoke alarms save lives!
