Local News

Ahead of Community Risk Reduction Week, State Fire Marshal asks Granite Staters to make plan to reduce fire risks 

Ahead of Community Risk Reduction Week, State Fire Marshal asks Granite Staters to make plan to reduce fire risks 

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office is releasing data that reaffirms the importance of Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week, an annual promotion of intervention strategies to make communities safer that began Monday, Jan. 20.  

In 2024, New Hampshire fire departments responded to 3,575 fires, with approximately 75% of all structure fires occurring in homes, according to data reported to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office to date. The fires resulted in 47 civilian injuries and caused an estimated $65 million in damages. Last year, the state also experienced a significant increase in fire-related and carbon monoxide fatalities, resulting in the investigation of more than 50 deaths. According to State Fire Marshal Sean P. Toomey, the statistics underscore the urgent need for targeted prevention programs, including CRR Week. 

“CRR is about using data to make communities safer,” said Marshal Toomey. “Fire departments can use their incident reports to develop data-driven strategies that identify and prioritize local risks. From there, they can create programs to mitigate those risks and build more resilient communities.” 

The theme of this year’s CRR week, which runs from Jan. 20-26, is economic incentives, which may include initiatives such as smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm installations, collaboration with local governments to lower ISO ratings, and using incident report data to support fire department budgets and resource needs. Free resources for CRR week, including videos, podcasts, data tools, online guides, risk assessments and educational courses, are available online

The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office is working to distribute CO alarms to schools and homes across the state over the next two years. Additionally, in collaboration with the National Association of State Fire Marshals and Kidde, the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office has already distributed more than 700 smoke and CO alarms to 36 fire departments this winter. The initiative has been aimed at helping vulnerable populations, such as families without functioning alarms, to receive critical life safety equipment. 

In addition to CRR week, all Granite Staters can take simple steps to reduce fire risks in their homes, including the proper installation, maintenance and replacement of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, creating a home fire escape plan and putting an emergency kit together.