Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
Persons with Disabilities
Fires in the home can be potentially dangerous and deadly for everyone, but persons with disabilities and
impairments face additional challenges. Persons with disabilities often have a difficult time identifying or
escaping a fire.
8,922 of the 37,124 households within the City of Nashua reported having one or more members with a
disability. This comprises 24%, or almost a quarter of the households, which presents an opportunity for
education and community risk reduction within the Nashua community.
Figure 11. Households with Disabilities
Persons with Language Barriers
According to the NFPA, “Language barriers, cultural differences, and inexperience with unfamiliar home
technologies are factors that mark the challenges of helping newcomers live safely from the threat of fire in
the home.” By itself, speaking a language other than English at home does not directly contribute to a higher
risk of emergencies; however, if a person has difficulty speaking English, it may contribute to negative
outcomes during an emergency.
The minority population in the city is higher than the New Hampshire average but less than the national
average. The percentage of the population that is foreign-born (15.8%) is very high comparatively. In
addition, 21.7% of the population of Nashua speaks a language other than English. This suggests that normal
English versions of fire safety messages are potentially missing a large cross-section of the community.
Prevention and education messages could reach more residents if communication methods expanded to
include additional languages.
Persons Living in Poverty
Persons living in poverty experience increased risk from fire and medical emergencies due to the age and
condition of their housing, inability to pay for routine medical care, lack of medical insurance, and general
health conditions. Sometimes a lack of access to transportation leads to increased use of emergency medical
care and transport. Those living below the poverty line are the most at-risk. The low-income category is often
combined with other factors such as education, disability, and work status. In 2015, the United States
reported that 8.8% of seniors were living below the poverty level compared to 19.7% of children. In addition,
facing poverty or near poverty is more likely to occur if a person is Black or African-American, Hispanic, or in
a family (of any race) that is headed by a single woman.
ESC) Emergency Services 4
Consulting International 4
