U.S. hospitals have moved toward establishing smoke-free campuses to promote healthier lifestyles. But the 20-year movement has also seen a reduction in hospital fires, according to an article on The Bulletin website.
A new report by the National Fire Protection Association said smoking materials accounted for an average of 50 fires per year in hospitals and hospices from 2009 to 2013.
That’s down from 100 fires per year from 2006 to 2010, and 3,800 fires per year from 1980 to 1984, when nearly half of smoking-related fires occurred in patient rooms.
In the early ’80s, smoking materials accounted for 30 percent of all hospital and hospice fires, but today cause less than 4 percent of the total.
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