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The association between deprivation and accidental dwelling fire injuries was examined in Merseyside which has a high proportion of deprived areas. For the years 2006 to 2016, over half of the accidental dwelling fire injuries in Merseyside occurred in deprived areas, and almost three quarters of alcohol and drug related accidental dwelling fire injuries occurred in such areas. In particular, we examine the relationship between the established accidental dwelling fire injury risk factors of old age, disability and alcohol and drug consumption and the level of deprivation. There were strong correlations between deprivation and the overall number of fire injuries, and between deprivation and fire injuries relating to alcohol/drug consumption, disability/mobility related fire injuries, and fire injuries sustained by those aged 65+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this paper, we examine unintentional dwelling fire injuries during the period 2006 to 2016 in Merseyside, in the North West of England. Overall, it appeared that deprivation was a significant factor in unintentional fire injuries over the period studied, with 52% of fire injuries occurring in areas with the highest level of deprivation. Males and females appeared equally likely to be injured in an unintentional dwelling fire, however, males were twice as likely to be injured in an alcohol and drug‐related fire incident, or injured attempting to fight a dwelling fire than females. In terms of the age profile of those injured in unintentional dwelling fires, the group with the highest level of fire injuries was the elderly (29% of injuries), followed by those aged 25 to 45 (28% of injuries), then those aged 45 to 65 (23% of injuries), then young persons (aged up to 24) (20% of injuries). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]