New York State Gets Surprising Grade In Fire Safety Report

Did you know that October 5th–11th is Fire Safety Week? For 2025, it comes with a wake-up call for New Yorkers.

How New York Scored in the Fire Safety Report Card

According to a new Fire Safety Report Card from Mercury Insurance, New York earned a C grade when it comes to basic fire safety knowledge. Not exactly the kind of grade you want to bring home, especially when the subject could mean life or death.

So, how did they come up with the score? Mercury surveyed people across the country, asking about everyday safety habits: Do you feel confident putting out a grease fire? How often do you clean your dryer lint trap? Would you ever leave food cooking on the stove unattended? The results were then sorted by state, and unfortunately, New York didn’t exactly pass with flying colors.

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But before we get too down on ourselves, it’s worth noting we’re not alone. Americans everywhere are making some surprising fire safety mistakes. Take this: while 44% of people say they have a fire escape plan, only 14% have ever actually practiced it with their family. One in five admit to letting candles burn without supervision. And shockingly, one in ten have removed the batteries from their smoke alarms. That’s like playing with fire.

The Most Alarming Fire Safety Statistics

Here are some other eye-opening stats from Mercury’s report:

1) Half of us don’t feel confident putting out a grease fire, though most think they could recognize one.

2) 32% don’t have a fire extinguisher at home, and almost half don’t own a carbon monoxide detector.

3) One in three people say they’ve accidentally started a fire in their own home, with grease being the number one culprit.

Top 5 Fire Safety Mistakes Families Make

The top five fire safety mistakes are: sleeping with your bedroom door open (yes, that matters in a fire), using too many extension cords, leaving a stovetop unattended, letting candles burn without supervision, and leaving a space heater running overnight.

It’s all a good reminder that Fire Safety Week isn’t just a box to check, it’s a chance to look around our own homes and make a few small changes that could make a huge difference.