8. Fires, flames and scalds deaths, Australia 1994

(ICD9 E-codes 890-899, 924.0, 924.8, 924.9)

Table 8.1 Key indicators of fires, flames and scalds deaths

Indicator	Males	Females	Persons
Cases	86	58	144
Percent of all injury deaths	2%	3%	2%
Crude rate/100,000 pop	2.1	1.1	1.6
Age-adjusted rate/100,000 pop	2.1	1.1	1.6
Change in adj. rate since 1993	-4%	3%	-2%
Average years lost before age 75 yrs	41	33	38

Age and sex distribution

While male and female rates were not significantly different at any age group, male rates tended to be slightly higher at around 1.5 times the female rate. Rates rose after age 65 for both males and females.
Housefires accounted for 66% (n=96) of all fire injury deaths in 1994. Of these, 71 were overcome by smoke and fumes and 23 died from burns. Other categories were "clothing ignition" (12%), and "hot substance or object" (8%).
All deaths attributed to "hot substance or object" (n=11) occurred to people aged 60 or more years.

Despite yearly fluctuations in rates due to relatively low numbers and clusters of cases for years in which bushfire disasters occurred, the overall rate has declined by around 35% since 1979.
A reduction of 50% by the year 2000 of the 1992 rate of 2.4 deaths per 100,000 due to burns and scalds for persons aged 55 or more is a BHOA target. The 1994 rate of 1.9 deaths per 100,000 for persons 55 or more years was higher than the rate for 1993, but a reduction of 21% since 1992.