FFRS Analysis

Fire Victim Survivability Analysis Report

1. Executive Summary (Lay Interpretation)

This study analyzed over 5,000 fire incident records to identify the factors most strongly associated with victim survival. Our findings highlight three critical 'Life Safety' pillars:

  1. Visibility is the strongest predictor of life: Victims found in zero-visibility conditions are roughly 90% less likely to survive than those found in clear conditions.
  2. Smoke Alarms save lives: The presence of a working smoke alarm more than doubles the odds of survival.
  3. Speed of Search matters: Initiating a search before or during fire knockdown significantly improves the chances of a victim being found alive.

2. Statistical Analysis & Findings

A. Predictor Importance (Random Forest)

The Random Forest model ranks variables based on how much 'information' they provide in predicting the outcome. The location of the victim and the room they were found in are the top indicators of the eventual outcome.

Feature Importance Score
VictimRoom 199.90
VisibilityAtVictim 160.18
OccupancyType 119.57
FireConditionsOnArrival 117.26
SmokeAlarmClean 106.74
SearchInitiatedConditions 91.62

B. Odds of Survival (Logistic Regression)

Logistic regression allows us to quantify the 'Risk' or 'Benefit' of specific conditions. An Odds Ratio (OR) greater than 1 represents a protective factor, while an OR less than 1 represents an increased risk.

Factor Odds Ratio P-Value
(Intercept) 3.54 0.0000
VisibilityAtVictimLow Visibility 0.18 0.0000
VisibilityAtVictimModerate Visibility 0.33 0.0000
VisibilityAtVictimNULL 0.23 0.0267
VisibilityAtVictimZero Visibility 0.11 0.0000
SearchInitiatedConditionsPre fire knockdown 2.74 0.0000
SearchInitiatedConditionsSimultaneous with knockdown 1.71 0.0000
SmokeAlarmCleanUnknown 0.86 0.0436
SmokeAlarmCleanYes 2.33 0.0000

C. General Associations (Chi-Square)

The Chi-Square tests confirm that every major environmental and operational factor tracked has a statistically significant relationship with survival (all p-values < 0.05).

Variable Chi-Square Stat P-Value
VisibilityAtVictim 391.65 1.7735e-83
SmokeAlarmClean 249.64 6.1989e-55
OccupancyType 205.65 7.3071e-41
FireConditionsOnArrival 191.31 2.7669e-40
VictimRoom 171.25 1.0300e-29
SearchInitiatedConditions 111.24 7.0036e-25