BANGOR – For the third year in a row, the Residential Fire Safety Institute recently awarded the Bangor Fire Department with a Life Safety Achievement Award.

The prestigious award is given to select fire departments that, because of excellent fire prevention activities, have no recorded fire deaths in their communities. In 1999, only 1,243 fire departments in the United States and Canada received the award.

Residential fires in the U.S. account for 20 percent of all fires, but they result in 80 percent of all fire deaths.

The Residential Fire Safety Institute recognizes that, with public fire prevention education, fire departments can reduce life and property loss from residential fires in a cost-effective manner.

The RFSI is a public interest group that advocates the use of residential fire sprinklers, smoke alarms and public fire safety education.

The RFSI membership roster includes the United States Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals and private industry associations with an interest in residential fire safety.