County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service’s (CDDFRS) is pleased to announce a significant decrease in accidental dwelling (house) fires, making the lowest numbers on record.
The latest figures reveal that there have been only 204 accidental house fires in the past year. This figure represents a substantial 20% reduction compared to a decade ago (2012/13), an 18% reduction compared to five years ago (2017/18), and a 3% reduction from last year’s statistics.
In addition to the decrease in accidental house fires, CDDFRS are also pleased to report a significant decline in injuries resulting from these incidents. The statistics reveal that there have been just 9 injuries from accidental house fires in the past year. This is a 72% reduction compared to a decade ago, a 55% reduction from five years ago, and a 47% reduction from last year’s results.
As part of the CDDFRS’s fire prevention strategy, crews and the Service’s Community Safety Team offer free Home Fire Safety Visits. These visits are offered to all residents in County Durham and Darlington and may result in new smoke alarms being fitted as well as fire safety and wellbeing advice to ensure the risk of fire in the home is greatly reduced.
Follow up visits to more vulnerable residents are carried out by a specialist team of Community Safety Officers who will work closely with residents to mitigate risk in their home.
In 2022 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) praised the CDDFRS for their approach to home visits noting that by using fire crews to carry out these visits, this had resulted in CDDFRS carrying out around two times the England average.
Furthermore, the HMICFRS recognise that when a fire within the home does occur CDDFRS fire engines are amongst the fastest to respond, on average responding faster than the English average and faster than any other predominantly rural FRS in England.
CDDFRS Chief Fire Officer Steve Helps commented: “I am extremely proud of every member of the service who have all played a part in bringing the number of house fires down to their lowest rates on record. From education, awareness, and prevention to ensuring we have an outstanding emergency response when a house fire does occur.
“We are never complacent about the need for fire safety education with an extensive amount of work being carried out behind the scenes to target those who are at a greater risk as well as offering our Home Fire Safety Visits to everyone who lives in our service area.
“I would like to give a personal thank you from me to our fire crews for carrying out so many visits alongside our Community Safety Team. Of course, I would also like to thank the public for being fire safety advocates in their own home by checking their smoke alarms and following our advice to keep themselves and their families as safe as possible.”
Cllr John Shuttleworth, Chair of County Durham and Darlington Combined Fire Authority commented: “It is brilliant to hear that our Fire and Rescue Service have seen a significant decrease in accidental house fires. I believe this is testament to the integral part they play in education and prevention activities.
I am very proud to be a part of such an amazing service who puts their community at the heart of everything they do.”
If you feel you would benefit from a Home Fire Safety Visits, please email us on csenquiries@ddfire.gov.uk or phone us on 0345 223 4221
Find out more about Home Fire Safety visits here https://bit.ly/37x0vvs
