The Epidemiology of Residential Fires Among Children and Youth in Canada /

Using Routine Activity Theory and Crime Pattern Theory to explain the results, the authors concluded that residential fires are non-random and cluster in time and space, due to the spatio-temporal relationship between the environment and human behaviour.9 Although the analysis was limited to a single urban area in BC, the study provides important insight into the pattern of residential fires as a [...] This explanation, if true, would likely be the result of a number of related factors affecting the outcome of the fire incident, such as severity of the fire, response times of the local fire crews, response times of the local medical emergency services, or distance from the nearest pediatric care facility. [...] The number of casualties and fire incidents by construction type and province, as well as the breakdown of construction type by age category, are provided in Appendix C. There was a positive relationship between the spread of fire and the casualty rate, as the fire spread beyond the igniting object, to the room, and then the floor of origin in the residence. [...] This does not necessarily indicate that targeted interventions to increase the fire resistance of the home environment would be ineffective; it is more likely an indication of the vulnerability of this population in any fire, in addition to the effects of other external factors that contribute to the extent and severity of the fire incident, such as firefighter deployment and response times. [...] A report of the health and well-being of children and youth in British Columbia,19 the percentage of children and youth living in urbanj BC with core housing need in 2011 was substantially higher than the national average and was the highest among all Canadian provinces.19 Core housing need is the failure of the dwelling to meet at least one of the three required standards: adequacy, affordability