Norway has a vision of zero killed and injured in fires. Many fatal fires that occur in Norway are so-called “fires close to the body”, fires that occur on or next to a person. We have studied these fires and looked at what measures exist to prevent and mitigate them, as statutory fire protection measures such as smoke alarms, manual extinguishing equipment and, for some buildings, automatic extinguishing systems are often not enough.
The aim of this project has been to investigate which measures exist and are in use to prevent and limit fires close to the body. It has also been investigated which measures those who work with people with disabilities, and others with risk factors, consider practical to use and possibly have good experience with. Based on this, we have proposed solutions and measures that can prevent or mitigate fires close to the body.
First, we would like to emphasize the importance of good cooperation between public actors. Good mapping tools that help the health and care services to assess whether the fire safety of those who receive services is adequately taken care of are very important. Those who will use the mapping tools must have good training. Information for people with risk factors about fire safety and what measures exist to increase their fire safety is also important. For this work, home visits, preferably with the involvement of close ones, will be key in reaching out with the information to people who need it.
Many fires close to the body start due to smoking. Safe smoking habits are important to limit the occurrence of fires close to the body, and good stable ashtrays, glasses with water to put out the cigarette, smoker’s aprons and flame-retardant bedding are measures that can contribute to this. For people with reduced mobility, a smoker’s robot can ensure that the cigarette does not end up on their clothes. As a last resort, a personal protection water mist system with early activation and nozzles placed where the person is most of the time can save lives. Another measure that has yielded good experience is smoke detectors connected to the personal security alarm. The people we interviewed stated that people on duty for the personal security alarm central are often faster on site than the fire brigade, and this service relieves the fire brigade. Changing sources of open flame, such as candles and cigarettes, to electric alternatives is also a good measure.
The study is funded by the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) and Norwegian Building Authority (DiBK).
You may find the full report (pdf) in Norwegian with English summary here:
https://risefr.no/media/rapporter/rise-rapport-2025-7-forebygging-av-kroppsnare-branner.pdf