|
Research shows fire deaths at lowest level since 1950s |
|
|
|
All fire services across England improved their performance in preventing fires and saving lives over the past year, with deaths from fires at their lowest levels since 1958, according to an independent performance assessment published by the Audit Commission.
All fire services are on track to meet the government’s target for reducing the total number of fires and they are performing well against national targets to reduce arson. Most (90 per cent) of England’s fire services are on track to achieve the national target of a 20 per cent reduction in fire deaths by 2010. Better fire prevention work is key to bringing the number of fires and deaths down further, an Audit Commission spokesperson told FIRE. Over half of fire services are improving well in preventing fires, but there are early signs that performance is starting to level off, with the rate of improvement in a quarter of fire services slowing since last year. Having focused on activity that leads to immediate improvements, the Commission says that fire services must now address more challenging issues if they are to continue to improve. Workplace diversity remains a major issue, impacting directly on fire services’ ability to carry out fire prevention work. A more representative workforce makes it easier for the service to connect with and educate the different communities most at risk from fire. Fire services are increasingly working in partnership with police, councils and health services to deliver on targets, with high-performing fire services praised for working with councils to improve antisocial behaviour and reduce arson, and working with police to improve road safety. Michael O’Higgins, Chairman of the Audit Commission said: “Today’s assessments reveal a positive picture of firefighting across England, with fewer fires taking place across the country and deaths from fires at their lowest levels in 50 years. This demonstrates the time and effort that fire authorities have put into prevention work over the last few years, and the dramatic impact this can have by tackling the cause rather than the effect of fires.
“For fire services to continue to improve we will need to see even greater targeting of resources at vulnerable communities and we will need to address the lack of diversity in the fire workforce. This is important if fire services are to effectively communicate messages about fire safety and prevention to local people, and reach people from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, some of whom are at high risk from fire deaths, with those messages.”
The Audit Commission assessment also found that all services are achieving efficiency savings, yet no fire service is performing strongly in providing value for money to the communities they serve. Fire services now need to address more complex issues such as levels of fire cover and staff numbers and matching resources to risk and demand. (See CFOA response pg 6).
|
