History of Fire Prevention - Research Paper Example

Fighting Fire Being one of the "most fearful things in life," fire is considered as one of the most practical problems affecting not only the American nation but the rest of the world too. However, in a report of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control (NCFPC), it has been noted that whereas the United States, the leading country in terms of industrial development, has significantly benefited in the increase of technological use, and its industrialization has also been the leading cause of fatal fire disasters that cost them not only millions of dollars of damaged properties, health care fees, lost jobs and other opportunities, and alike, but also thousands of lives per year due to injury and deaths -- notably including the deaths of children, as well as those of the firefighters who die while on or caused by their duty (NCFPC, n.d.).

In line with this, authorities all over the world have continued to search for knowledge on how to prevent fire and its spread in case of disasters. While the earliest ancestors used and had not to worry for the rage of fire in their daily living, the advent of the principles on how to prevent damaging and fatal fires had been noted at the spring of industrialization as civilization started to form and "fire become a necessary tool for heat, light, cooking, and industry" (Diamantes, 2005, p. 4).

Public policies to control careless use of fire among people and prevention of other causes of fire occurrences around the country (e.g., faulty wiring, arson, etc.), as well as informing and training firefighters on several principles about how to stop the fire have since then been formulated and reformulated to avoid and interrupt fire from causing damage and taking lives (US Fire Administration, 1977, p. 4; US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994, p. 297). Nevertheless, due to the prevalence of fire disasters despite efforts to prevent it, the necessity of application for insurance company services have also sprouted as unpleasant events are expected to occur any time.

Utilization of such services helps victims of fire, including fire fighters, in facing the financial burdens that will result from any fire accident or event if not to prevent its prevalence (Mankiw, 2007, p. 148). References Diamantes, D. (2005). Principles of Fire Prevention. New York, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Mankiw, N.G., 2007. Essentials of economics (4th Ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson Higher Education. National Commission of Fire Prevention and Control (NCFPC). (n.d.). America burning. Washington, DC: NCFPC.

US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statitistics. (1994). Occupational outlook handbook. Washington, DC: US Gov't Printing Office. US Fire Administration. (1997). Fire prevention program planning in a social action perspective: an exploratory study of knowledge, attitudes, and leaders in a high fire risk area of New Orleans, Louisiana. Louisiana, USA: Planning and Research Associates, Inc.