With routine changes to building codes, the use of educational campaigns, and the technological advancements associated with smoke and fire detectors and alarms, it is much more common nowadays for homes to have functioning smoke and fire detectors, alarms, and suppression systems. However, this was not always the case for homes built decades ago. Given this, this research note focuses on the risk that older homes and those living in them face from fires and assesses whether there is a greater risk of fire-related deaths and injuries for those living in homes built before 1975 compared to those built after 1975.
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