Great American Smokeout

11/21/2019 (Permalink)

November 21^st marks the “Great American Smokeout”.  The American Cancer Society sponsors the Great American Smokeout every year on the third Thursday in November.  This is an annual social engineering event to encourage Americans to quit tobacco smoking.  It challenges smokers to quit smoking for 24 hours in the hopes that they will continue beyond 24 hours.  While we all know the health benefits of not smoking, we in the restoration business think it’s a good idea to not smoke as well.

According to FEMA, “An estimated 7,600 smoking-related fires in residential buildings occur each year in the United States.  While smoking-related fires accounted for only 2 percent of all residential building fires, they were a leading cause of civilian fire deaths, accounting for 14 percent of fire deaths in residential buildings.  Nonconfined fires accounted for 93 percent of residential building smoking-related fires.  Sixty-seven percent of nonconfined residential building smoking-related fires occurred because of abandoned or discarded smoking materials or products, primarily cigarettes.  The bedroom was the leading area of fire origin for nonconfined residential building smoking-related fires at 24 percent.  Residential building smoking-related fires occurred most often from noon to 8 p.m., peaking from2 to 3 pm at 6 percent”

Giving up smoking will not only improve your health, but it will also reduce your risk of a home fire.  Consider joining the “Great American Smokeout” today.