Fire Statistics Monitor : Update to 31 March 2008

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has
published details of the latest fire statistics for the UK as a whole,
covering the 12-month period up to 31 March 2008. The 'Fire Statistics
Monitor' is published quarterly and comprises figures taken from
reports submitted to the DCLG on fires and false fire alarms attended
by the fire and rescue service across the UK. In particular it
describes detailed information on what is known as 'primary' fires -
these are defined as fires that have taken place in buildings,
vehicles and outdoor structures, as well as any fires involving
casualties, rescues or fires attended by five or more appliances.

Some information, albeit less detailed aggregated information is
provided on "secondary" fires - these are the majority of outdoor
fires including grassland and refuse fires unless they involve
casualties or rescues, property loss or five or more appliances
attended. Fires in single derelict buildings are regarded as secondary
fires. Chimney fires are any fires occurring in occupied buildings
where the fire was confined within the chimney structure (and did not
involve casualties or rescues or attendance by five or more
appliances).

Death of individuals attributed to a fire is counted as a fatality
even if death occurred at some point after the event and even if fire
was not the cause of death. Information on fatalities included in the
Fire Statistics Monitor is provisional, since it is subject to
rigorous cross-checking against the cause of death detailed on the
death certificates. The main area of uncertainty is whether the fire
was the cause of death in road traffic fatalities.

The information detailed in the latest Fire Statistics Monitor can be
summarised as follows:

*
The past 12 months have seen an 8% decrease, compared to
2007/2008 figures - in 2008/2009 the United Kingdom Fire and Rescue
Services attended 799,000 fire and false alarm incidents;
*
Total UK fires were recorded as totalling 382,000 - an 11% fall since 1988
UK fire deaths increase by 8% to 500. This figure is contrary to
the long-term downward trend;
*
Primary fires fell to 141,000 in 2008/2009 (a 10% decrease).
Within this figure, dwelling fires are at their lowest since 1977
(52,000, down 5%), fires in other buildings - including workplaces and
areas where people gather - are down by 11% to 30,000 and road vehicle
fires again fell (by 14 & to 49,000) to their lowest total since 1989;
*
It is reported that secondary fires fell to 231,000 (a 12% decrease);
*
False alarm attendances fell by 5% to 417,000. This included a
13% fall (to 29,000) in malicious false alarms and a 5% fall (to
270,000) in false alarms due to apparatus.