(Arlington, VA – October 27, 2011) –  Last week, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) testified before a federal advisory committee that occupants of manufactured homes are no more likely to die from a fire in their home than occupants of other single family homes.

During the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC) meeting, the NFPA testified on its report, Manufactured Home Fires which concludes that the fire death rate for homes built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction Standards is “comparable” to other single family homes.  NFPA announced that it published a correction to its July, 2011 report, saying that the number of deaths from fires per 1,000 manufactured homes is 2.4 percent not 13.3 percent and is within the range (2.3 – 2.6 percent) estimated for other single family homes. In addition, the report concludes that the rate of fire injury and the incidents of fires for manufactured home occupants is less than for occupants of other single family homes.

“This report concludes what the industry and our customers have known all along.  Manufactured homes are built with consumer safety considerations first and foremost, and manufactured homes are built to high quality, stringent standards to keep customers safe,” said MHI President Thayer Long.

MHCC members also heard from industry representatives, including a third party inspection agency and several state regulators, that the current fire safety standards for manufactured homes are more stringent than for site built homes constructed to the International Residential Code (IRC). Flame spread, egress, and smoke detector requirements are three examples.

The MHCC is authorized by the U.S. Congress to provide the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with recommendations regarding manufactured housing construction standards and related regulations, and is composed of 21 voting members representing manufacturers and retailers, consumers, organizations with general interests in manufactured housing, and public officials.
click here for a copy of the July, 2011 report and click here for the October, 2011 Errata.

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MHI is the preeminent national trade association for the manufactured and modular housing industries, representing all segments of the industries before Congress and the Federal government.  From its Washington, D.C. area headquarters, MHI actively works to promote fair laws and regulation for all MHI members and the industry. For more information on MHI, visit www.manufacturedhousing.org