In a study of the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, Jersey City has one of the nation’s highest risks of home fires.
The study, by The Hartford insurance company, looked at a municipality’s rate of residential fires and the results of a 2022 survey that assessed a city’s adoption of fire safety best practices. The fire rates and survey scores were combined to produce a ranked, composite Home Fire Risk score for each city. Jersey City placed 12th highest nationally for home fire risk.
According to The Hartford, many Jersey City respondents to the survey are engaging in behaviors known to cause home fires. However, at approximately 100, the sample size of the survey for each city was small.
The Hartford says that Jersey City respondents were found lacking in home fire preparedness. Dangerous behaviors include:
- Charging a Device Overnight: Nearly three in four (74%) of Jersey City respondents reveal that they charged a device overnight, which is a common fire safety risk.
- Smoking Indoors: 19% of Jersey City respondents indicate that they smoked indoors.
Factors affecting low home preparedness include:
- Fire/Smoke Detectors: Less than half (40%) of Jersey City respondents state they have a fire/smoke detector in every bedroom in their home, in contrast to the 57% of all U.S. respondents who indicate such.
- Emergency Escape Plans: Only 64% of Jersey City respondents say that they currently have an emergency escape plan for themselves and/or members of their home in the event of a fire.
The Hartford recommends:
- Installing and maintaining smoke detectors in every bedroom and on every level of the home
- Replacing detectors that are more than 10 years old
- Avoiding smoking indoors and leaving candles or any other open flames unattended
The Hartford is a Fortune 500 company and the 13th-largest property and casualty insurance company in the United States.