Protection From Fire Risks

Since the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 was passed, annual U.S. fire fatalities have decreased by more than 50%. NIST’s fire research has played a crucial role in saving thousands of lives annually.

Starting in the early 1970s, NIST worked with Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and others on research and recommendations that led to new standards and the widespread use of smoke detectors. Between 1975 and 2000, the share of homes with a smoke alarm rose from 10% to at least 92%. In that same period, fire deaths were reduced by about half. Experiments at NIST in 2024 found that the new alarms detect fires sooner without increasing the rate of nuisance alarms.

Bed fires once caused one in six fire deaths. In the 2000s, NIST conducted measurements on bed flammability — research that laid the foundation for new laws for safer mattresses. Since those laws have passed, bed fire deaths have decreased by two-thirds.

NIST is also a leader in researching fires where communities and wildland meet, what’s called the wildland-urban interface. Our researchers have developed unique tools for studying the spread of wildfire, plus strategies for reducing its hazards and for improving evacuation that have already been adopted by communities in California.

Learn more about NIST’s impact on fire safety in the U.S.