title: Preventing deaths and injuries from house fires: an outcome evaluation of a community-based smoke alarm installation programme.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined the impact of community-based smoke alarm (SA) distribution programmes on the occurrence of house fire-related deaths and injuries (HF-D/I).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the rate of HF-D/I differed for programme houses that had a SA installed through a community-based programme called Operation Installation, versus non-programme houses in the same census tracts that had not received such a SA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teams of volunteers and firefighters canvassed houses in 36 high-risk target census tracts in Dallas, TX, between April 2001 and April 2011, and installed lithium-powered SAs in houses where residents were present and gave permission. We then followed incidence of HF-D/I among residents of the 8134 programme houses versus the 24 346 non-programme houses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean of 5.2 years of follow-up, the unadjusted HF-D/I rate was 68% lower among residents of programme houses versus non-programme houses (3.1 vs 9.6 per 100 000 population, respectively; rate ratio, 0.32; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.84). Multivariate analysis including several demographic variables showed that the adjusted HF-D/I rate in programme houses was 63% lower than non-programme houses. The programme was most effective in the first 5 years after SA installation, with declining difference in rates after the 6th year, probably due to SAs becoming non-functional during that time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This collaborative, community-based SA installation programme was effective at preventing deaths and injuries from house fires, but the duration of effectiveness was less than 10 years.
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas, , Dallas, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Istre
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: Billy J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Carey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roper
authors.forename: Shelli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stephens-Stidham
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Carlin
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stowe
authors.forename: Ron J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention; D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002056:Burns / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018672:Community Health Planning; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011482:Protective Devices; D012307:Risk Factors; D013781:Texas