Guardian Safety Solutions International (GSSI) experts estimate that more than 12 million unintentional home cooking fires go unreported. More than 1,200 Americans over the age of 65 die and more than 3,000 are injured due to residential fires each year. Seniors are the highest risk group in North America.
“The fact that seniors are the highest risk group for cooking fires is a wake up call to those in the senior housing industry, as well as adult children of the elderly,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI administrative officer. “Builders spend millions building beautiful residences with many amenities that cater to people over 55 but may not consider that distraction, forgetfulness and memory loss can pose significant dangers to the residents. The most important amenity that should be installed in every senior residence is a range top suppression system,” Rouse says.
In addition to the destruction of property estimated at $7 billion per year in the U.S. alone, the National Fire Protection Association reports that 43 percent of people who have died in cooking fires were asleep at the time. “It’s easy to see that seniors who generally fall asleep earlier and are more forgetful can easily become a very sad statistic,’ said Rouse.
“This data is the core of our “Guardian Solution,’ or range top suppression system,” said Rouse “Guardian protects seniors against a range top fire before it strikes. Those who build senior housing can rest at ease knowing that potential cooking fires stand no chance in a kitchen protected by Guardian.” He added that kitchens can be retrofitted for Guardian as well.
The Guardian is designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and at the same time prevents re-ignition. Once it detects heat at a pre-determined temperature, a signal is sent to release the extinguishing agent to suppress the fire and to shut off the gas or electric supply to the stove in order to prevent reigniting. The design of the system offers:
- • automatic operation
- • continuous 24-hour protection
- • concealed installation
- • easy clean-up
- • proven reliability
“Whether it is a senior resident or nursing home at risk, putting the fire out quickly is imperative to minimize damage and injury to our precious older population,” Rouse said. “The Guardian system provides that speed and protection.”