New Fire Safety Study

NEW FIRE STUDY SAYS MANUFACTURED HOMES SAFER

In late October, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) testified before a federal advisory committee that occupants of manufactured homes are no more likely to die from a fire in their home than occupants of other single-family homes.  During a meeting of the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC), the NFPA testified on its report, ‘Manufactured Home Fires’, which concludes that the fire death rate for homes built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction Standards is “comparable” to other single family homes. The NFPA announced that it published a correction to its July 2011 report, saying that the number of deaths from fires per 1,000 manufactured homes is 2.4 Percent - not 13.3 percent - and is within the range estimated for other single-family homes (2.3 - 2.6 percent). In addition, the report concludes that the rate of fire injury and the incidence of fires for manufactured home occupants is less than for occupants of other single family homes.  In response to the report, former MHI President Thayer Long said: “This report concludes what the industry and our customers have known all along. Manufactured homes are built with consumer safety considerations first and foremost, and manufactured homes are built to high quality, stringent standards to keep customers safe”.  MHCC members also heard from industry representatives, including a third party inspection agency and several state regulators, that the current fire safety standards for manufactured homes are more stringent than standards for site built homes constructed to the International Residential Code (IRC). Requirements for flame spread, occupant egress, and smoke detector placement are just three examples of enhanced fire safety standards contained in the HUD Code.

For more information on our Homes Construction Standards and Options please call Mitchell's at (501) 305-2360.