CHILDHOOD HOUSE FIRES MORTALITY, MORBIDIT Y AND PREVENTION IN FRANCE

Children injuries by house fires in France are the cause of a severe m ortality (sixty deaths in average each year) and of a morbidity for th e survival due to smoke toxicity (oxygen deprivation and inhalation of toxic gases - CO and HCN) and to thermal burns. Epidemiological studi es show that young children (0 to 4) are specially concerned by this t hreat and that the deaths occurred more often in some part of France ( Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region). A special strategy for this prevention sho uld be applied in France, the same avalaible in USA, Sweden and UK, in cluding information on the behavior one should have with children : ne ver leave them alone and escape with them as soon as possible out of t he smoke. The usefulness of smoke detectors should be confirmed by Fre nch administration and recommanded to the public, since they have had effectives results in other countries.