Fire deaths at an all-time low
Data. Government figures for fire-related incidents in England in 2014/15 show a reduction in those killed and injured (see The next step ). Within the year there were 258 fire-related deaths: the lowest recorded to date, 6% fewer than the year before and 30% fewer than in 2004/5. The reduction in non-fatal injuries has been even more dramatic. The total number of injuries requiring hospital treatment for 2014/15 was 3,235, 55% lower than in 2004/5.
Total fire incidents. Fire and rescue services (FRSs) report that they attended around 154,700 fires in England in 2014/15. The only year in which this figure was bettered was 2012/13 when wet weather significantly reduced the number of outdoor fires.
Why the good news? The low figures are attributed to the success of campaigns concerning smoke alarms, fire safety visits and fire-safe cigarettes. There has also been a change in behaviour with arson becoming a much rarer occurrence.
The bad news. 44% of all incidents attended by FRSs in England were false alarms. Although false alarms have been reducing year on year they’re not diminishing as quickly as the number of actual fires. This means that they’re taking up an increasing proportion of FRS time.
Warning. These statistics are used to direct FRS resources at real risks. With false alarms wasting their time and the majority caused by apparatus failures, many FRSs are now charging for attendance at repeated false alarms.
Tip. To avoid charges, have your fire alarm serviced at least every six months and investigate false alarms to prevent a recurrence.
For a copy of the government fire statistics 2014/15, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 14.04.01).
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