ELECTRICAL
Electricity helps make our lives easier but there are times when we can take its power and its potential for fire-related hazards for granted.
NFPA actively supports National Electrical Safety Month, an annual campaign in May sponsored by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), which works to raise awareness of potential home electrical hazards, the importance of electrical fire safety, and the safety of electrical workers.

To help reduce your risk, NFPA and ESFI recommend that you have all electrical work done by a qualified electrician, including electrical inspections, when buying or remodeling a home. In the video below, Brett Brenner, President of ESFI, offers tips residents can follow to help keep homes safer from electrical fires, in this age of smart home technology.

Hear ESFI President Brett Brenner talk about what the data says on who most often experiences electrical injuries and how, as well as electrical safety considerations in the age of electric vehicles and smart home technology.

Electrical fire facts
- In 2015-2019 electrical distribution or lighting equipment, such as wiring, lighting, cords, and plugs, was involved in an estimated
average of roughly 32,620 reported home structure fires per year. These incidents caused an average of 430 civilian deaths, 1,070
civilian injuries, and $1.3 billion in direct property damage annually.
- Electrical distribution or lighting equipment ranked first in direct property damage, and third among the major fire causes in the number
of home fires, home fire deaths and home fire injuries.
- Wiring and related equipment accounted for 6 percent of all home fires and 11 percent of all home fire deaths.
- Cords or plugs were involved in only one percent of home fires but seven percent of the deaths. Extension cords dominated the cord or
plug category.